Grudge
by A Wise Owl
Summary: SPOILERS FOR THOR:RAGNAROK How will Midgardians react to seeing Loki? Will Thor be able to protect him? I own nothing.
1. Prologue

**SPOILERS FOR THOR: RAGNAROK!**

 **This is just a little idea that wouldn't leave my mind after seeing Ragnarok. If we disregarded the post-credit scene, what would actually happen if the Asgardians got to Midgard?**

 **EDIT: Well...this little idea turned into something quite long. To add a little more accurate summary, there is not only angst/hurt/comfort to be expected but also fluff and a lot of brotherly moments. In the meantime, Loki struggles to fulfill his full potential as a plan needs to be devised to defeat Thanos.**

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

Many SHIELD agents were surrounding the spaceship. In front of them, Fury stood with Tony Stark, Steve, Clint and Natasha. The Avengers' faces lightened when they saw Banner and Thor emerging from the spaceship.

"My friends!" Thor yelled and grinned at his friends from work. Meanwhile, Banner was being crushed in a tight embrace by Steve. Fury, being himself, was observing everything from distance as if the Earth was facing yet another invasion.

Loki knew he had to get out of the spaceship. If he hesitated a bit more, they would think that he was hiding inside.

They would think him a coward.

He was Loki, the saviour of Asgard, for God's sake. He was not afraid of a few petty mortals.

Only that he was.

Loki knew that neither SHIELD nor anyone on Midgard would welcome him with open arms. Midgard surely held grudge against Loki and he couldn't say that unreasonably so. Frankly speaking, Loki was terrified of the idea of finding himself in some kind of dungeons again. His time in the Asgardian dungeons was terrible; Loki was suffocating and there was no one who would listen to him. Loki couldn't go through all of this again on Midgard.

Also, no matter how much Loki hated to admit it, he was happy that him and Thor have found some sort of truce. Loki did miss his big brother and felt safer by his side. He knew that he was lying to Thor and himself when he said that it would probably be better if they never saw each other again.

Loki needed Thor and he was relieved to see that Thor's indifference towards him was slowly melting away. Don't be mistaken – Loki would never go back to _know your place, brother times_. In the end, he meant it when he said that all he ever wanted was to be Thor's equal.

Yet Thor has matured a lot since those times and Loki knew that he himself has also made quite a few mistakes. If Thor was willing to give their lost brotherhood a chance, Loki was too.

However, Loki was afraid that when those mortals saw him, their most likely angry and violent reaction would remind Thor of all the reasons why Loki should not be trusted.

With a heavy heart but unreadable expression on his face, Loki stepped out of the spaceship.


	2. Chapter I - Do I trust you?

**First of all, I need to thank so much to those of you who reviewed, favorited or followed the prologue; I really didn't expect such a nice response to such a short piece of writing! Enjoy :)**

* * *

"Great. This is just fantastic." Loki murmured to himself when he looked around.

Everyone was there. Everyone he could remember from the time of his egregious attempt of global domination.

Loki heard someone gasp next to him. When he looked right, he saw the SHIELD agents standing in a circle around the spaceship with their weapons pointed to the ground.

"Sir?" an agent close to Loki called to Fury.

Fury raised his head and set his gaze on Loki. Loki swallowed heavily but otherwise gave no indication that he was aware of Fury staring and continued walking towards the Avengers.

And his brother.

Suddenly, Fury took out his gun and pointed it at Loki. His movement was followed by every SHIELD Agent and in an instant, Loki found himself being surrounded by countless guns ready to fire. He stopped, unsure what to do.

"There is really no need for this." Loki said with a pretended cheerful tone, his mouth being twisted into a fake grin, similar to the one he put on when Thor confronted him on Asgard.

"Don't you take another step." Fury replied sternly. Loki didn't dare to disobey and so he stood a few metres in front of Fury and the Avengers as if he froze to the spot.

The situation attracted the attention of the Avengers who were no less surprised to see Loki standing in front of them. Clint was the first one who came to his senses; he took out his own gun and started walking towards Loki.

"How do you dare to set a foot here again?" Clint hissed while he was approaching Loki.

Loki made a few quick steps back; when he saw that Clint was still coming towards him, he drew his daggers out. He wouldn't just stand there unarmed, facing all those people who hated him to the core.

In an instant, he understood that it was a bad idea.

"Sir, he is armed!" The agents started to scream one over another. Clint only smirked.

"Just give me a reason to fire. _Please_." He said with venom in his voice.

Loki's eyes were quickly gazing from one person to another, trying to assess the situation. It really didn't look too well. Loki knew that their basic weapons couldn't cause him much harm but now there were simply too many of them. Loki started to panic; the situation was developing exactly the way he hoped it wouldn't. He had no idea what to do and so he only stood there with the daggers still firmly in his hands.

"Quiet." Fury's authoritative voice resonated around and abruptly everyone stopped screaming. Fury took one step closer to Loki with his gun still pointed at Loki's chest.

"Loki, put the weapons down."

Loki felt that he was beginning to sweat. The situation seemed to be hopeless; Loki couldn't dream to fight off all the Avengers combined with SHIELD forces. At the same time, no one was willing to listen to anything he tried to say; his strongest weapon, his silver tongue, was rendered useless.

Loki glanced at the other Avengers; the Iron Man was standing looking surprised and genuinely interested in the situation developing in front of him. Agent Romanov was ready to go to support Barton at any moment; the soldier seemed to be simply curious.

"Thor." Banner said in an urgent voice, trying to attract the god's attention to what was happening. Thor finally snapped out of his shock and began walking towards Fury and Loki.

"Director Fury, it is okay." Thor said trying to calm the situation down.

"No, Thor. It is not. I can see a hostile force ready to attack the Earth. _Again_." Fury emphasized the last word.

Thor knew he should have expected this; yet he found himself unsure how to proceed.

 _For years, he had hoped that some connection with his brother would be restored. When Loki was in the dungeons, Thor would spend evenings walking towards Loki's confinement only to stop himself before the entrance to change his mind._

 _Thor needed his brother._

 _No matter what he claimed, he loved Loki._

 _However, after mourning his brother for the second time only to realise that once again Loki had fooled him, Thor's attitude towards his little brother shifted towards indifference. If their relationship truly meant so little to Loki, Thor would not waste his time trying to reconcile with him yet again._

 _Ironically, maybe it was Thor's indifference that made Loki understand how much he valued Thor's affection._

 _It pained Thor to leave his brother lying on the ground in an agony yet he knew that he would prove himself to be the witless oaf Loki thought him to be had he done something else._

 _And so he left Loki lying helplessly on Sakkar, hoping that no foe would find him._

 _Fortunately, Thor's reverse psychology and luck resulted in the best possible outcome._

 _Loki found his courage and led the decisive reinforcement to Asgard; he fought bravely alongside Thor against Hela and in the end it was him who undertook the dangerous mission to the Vault to carry out the essential part of the plan._

 _Thor was immensely relieved when the Asgardians were saved. However, he couldn't stop thinking about Loki to whom he started to refer as his little brother once again in his mind._

 _What happened to Loki?_

 _Did he manage to get away before Asgard erupted?_

 _Thor couldn't stand the idea of his brother dying alone in the Vault under the palace because he finally decided to do the right thing._

 _On the other hand, Thor couldn't shake the idea out of his head that Loki might have changed sides yet again and by now he may be gods know where scheming with their enemies._

 _And so Thor felt immensely relieved when Loki stepped into his cabin in the spaceship._

 _At that moment, it didn't matter to Thor that Loki is most likely somewhere else. Thor was just happy that Loki was alive._

 _"_ _I am here." Loki said with a barely visible smile when he caught the little object that Thor has thrown at him._

 _Impossible._

 _Thor couldn't believe it._

 _Loki not only saved the Asgardians; he also willingly came back to Thor despite not knowing Thor's attitude towards him nor Thor's intentions. Loki couldn't have known what would his older brother try to do with him. Would Thor try to put Loki back to some provisional prison as that was where Loki should technically still be as Odin's condemnation was to last for the rest of his days?_

 _Loki came even though he must have known that soon Thor would be crowned as the king of Asgard._

 _At that moment, overcame by emotions, Thor's faith in his little brother was restored. Thor decided that he would give Loki no reason to regret his decision to place faith in him. Thor knew that he had also done great slights to his brother and he was determined not to repeat such mistakes that had almost cost him the person he loved most in this world._

 _Without thinking, Thor quickly walked to his brother and pulled him into a crashing hug. Thor was only a bit taller than Loki; yet thanks to Loki's lean figure and Thor's masculine one, Loki found himself being snuggled up to Thor's chest. Surprisingly for Thor, Loki didn't make an attempt to get away from Thor._

 _Quite the opposite._

 _"_ _I can't breathe, Thor." Thor heard Loki utter sarcastically._

 _Thor loosened the embrace a little. To Thor's astonishment, Loki used the little additional space to draw his arms around Thor's back to return the hug._

 _Thor didn't know for how long they were standing there, frozen in time and enjoying the comfort that they could provide only to one another._

 _"_ _Loki?" Thor whispered against Loki's shoulder._

 _"_ _Yes, brother?"_

 _"_ _I missed you."_

 _There was silence for a while; Thor didn't need Loki to say anything, he was perfectly happy with his brother being comfortable enough to once again return the brotherly affection of a hug._

 _"_ _I missed you too, Thor." Loki finally said almost inaudibly and with insecurity._

 _And then Thor found himself uttering the words he never hoped to say again._

 _"_ _I trust you, Loki."_

Thor quickly shook the flood of memories out of his mind. He had to act. The situation didn't look well. Thor wasn't surprised at the apparent hostility from his Midgardian friends towards Loki but he had to stop it from getting nasty. He decided that first he had to make sure that the SHIELD understood that Loki is no danger to them now.

"Loki." Thor said looking into his brother's eyes. He was worried to find so much fear in them.

"Put the daggers down." He added trying to sound reassuring.

Loki kept the eye contact with Thor and then slowly, he let the daggers slip from his fingers on the ground.

Then everything went mad.

In inhuman speed, Fury ran to Loki and without a warning knocked him down. Loki, whose attention was still focused on Thor, didn't have time to realise what was happening and so he found himself lying on his back on the ground unable to catch his breath.

"Fury!" Thor screamed and ran towards Fury.

"Stay there!" Fury yelled at Loki who tried to push himself up. Loki twitched at the sound and stayed on the ground.

Thor rushed in between his brother and Fury. He quickly scanned his brother to make sure Loki was alright and then turned his attention to Fury. It took all of Thor's lately acquired ability of self-control not to cry out at Fury.

"I said that it is okay." Thor said slowly.

"Get out of my way, Thor."

"He is my brother."

"I remember you saying that he was only adopted." Fury raised his eyebrows ironically.

Thor glanced at Loki quickly enough to see a flash of hurt in his brother's eyes. It was gone before anyone else could notice it.

"We came to Earth to ask for shelter. I was hoping that you would provide it to us." Thor stated firmly.

"The Earth has no problem with you Asgardians. Only with him." Fury pointed to Loki.

"Loki has paid for his mistakes." Thor tried to reason with Fury.

"Oh, has he? It doesn't seem so." Fury was openly sarcastic now.

"What exactly was the punishment he received on Asgard? Being scolded by his father?"

"No." Thor said only.

"Then what was it?" Fury was staring right into Thor's eyes.

"Loki was to be confined to the dungeons." Thor replied.

"For how long?" Fury asked the question Thor feared.

"For the rest of his days." Thor answered trying to appear as calm as possible.

"Well…since Asgard is clearly incapable of carrying out the sentence now, the Earth will make sure that justice is being served. Seize him." Fury instructed the SHIELD agents. None of them seemed particularly happy to approach the God of Mischief who was clearly being protected by the God of Thunder but nevertheless, they moved forward.

"Stop." Rage was accumulating in Thor and he felt that his hand were beginning to itch – a sign that they would start sparkling soon.

"Director, please, listen to me." Thor found himself speaking urgently. "The circumstances have changed. Loki helped me to save Asgard. Please, let us go and I promise I will explain all to you as soon as possible.

Loki was observing the whole argument from the ground. He felt heat in his cheeks as they were turning red; he felt so humiliated. All those people have defeated him once and now all that was standing in between him and them was his brother's protection.

With a new-found dignity, Loki pushed himself off the ground which, of course, attracted both Fury's and Thor's attention.

"I don't need your help, Thor." Loki said firmly while staring at Thor.

"I think you do, Loki." Thor answered emotionlessly. He didn't have energy for his brother's games now.

"I said that it was a bad idea to come to Midgard, remember? But you decided to come here nevertheless." Loki's tone was bitter.

"It was the safest place where to bring our people. You know that! I couldn't..." Thor found himself being interrupted.

"You couldn't do what, Thor? Compromise the safety of _your_ people because of me? Of course not." Loki hissed.

"You came to save those people, Loki! So don't pretend you don't care about what happens to them!" Thor was starting to shake with rage. Loki was only making this worse.

Loki opened his mouth to retort something nasty to Thor but he couldn't articulate the words. Thor was right, of course. Loki cared about Asgardians and he didn't want to put them in harm's way. However, he couldn't admit this. It would only show that he cared and he wasn't willing to display this part of himself in front of his enemies. It was so much easier to be angry and bitter, pretending not to care about anything. More you care, more you have to lose. Loki learnt this lesson a long time ago.

Still, Loki also learnt what it meant to be left utterly and infinitely alone in the universe.

"I don't want to fight, Thor." Loki said without specifying whether he meant to argue with Thor or to fight the SHIELD.

Thor's eyes softened and he offered an understanding smile to Loki. It both emboldened and irritated Loki. From one side, he was relieved to be understood. From the other, he didn't like that Thor seemed to be able to read him like an open book. Loki was the God of Mischief and Lies, the Master of Deceit, he couldn't allow anyone to see right through him. Not even his brother.

"No matter what may have happened somewhere on Asgard lately," Fury's voice brought both Thor and Loki back to reality, "Loki never paid for his crimes on Midgard. What is more, we have nothing but your word that he won't try to terrorise this planet again. I won't let that happen."

"I was there too." Banner's voice came out of blue. Fury looked at him expectantly.

"Thor is…right. I can't believe I am saying that but Loki did come to help us. Maybe he deserves to be given a chance to prove himself." Banner finished.

Loki was staring at him in disbelief. He would never expect Banner to speak in his favour.

Fury was pensive for a while.

"I am willing to consider Loki's…eh…repentance." Fury said weighting each word. "But you must understand that until I am presented with a sufficient amount of evidence that he poses no threat to us, I must insist on constraining him."

"You have my word that Loki is not here to bring havoc, director." Thor insisted.

"I am afraid that is not enough, Thor." Fury replied.

"Thor." Banner spoke to his fellow Avenger. "Fury is right. You cannot expect him to trust Loki after what happened on Earth. I believe his offer to be fair."

Thor closed his eyes for a second. He knew that there was no alternative; he needed the Earth to serve as a safe haven for his people; he couldn't antagonise it now.

Thor opened his eyes and looked straight into Loki's.

Loki understood Thor's decision instantly.

Thor will give him up to save his people.

 _So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me?_

Loki remembered his own words.

He would never be anyone's first choice.

Never.

He understood why Thor made this decision.

Loki wasn't angry at Thor. He knew that Thor didn't have any alternatives. He also knew that Thor didn't wish to do this.

But it still hurt.

"It's alright, Thor." Loki found himself saying quietly while lifting his sight from the ground to Thor.

Thor's expression was penitent when he softly nodded to Loki. Then he turned to Fury.

"I will do as you suggest." Thor said emotionlessly and stepped away from Loki.

Fury beckoned to the agents.

Loki closed his eyes to calm himself down.

He can do this.

He will not panic.

Thor won't leave him to rot in chains for too long.

Yet despite attempts to appear strong, Loki couldn't help but twitch when he felt strong hands on his shoulders. He opened his eyes only to find agents standing all around him.

Loki decided to let them do what they had to. Now when Thor agreed to play according to Fury's rules, he knew that resisting had no meaning. He would only be defeated and ridiculed.

 _Maybe he never should have returned to Thor._

Loki's pupils widened when he saw heavy chains being brought to him by one of the agents. Unconsciously, he tried to take a step back, but he was being held tightly by the other agents. Their fingers painfully dug into Loki's shoulders and he was left with no choice but to let the man come face to face with him.

Loki's eyes rested on the chains and with dread he realised that these were not ordinary chains. They were very much like the ones he was forced to wear on Asgard; spelled to prevent him from using magic.

Since when did Midgard have their own sorcerers?

Roughly, the agent grabbed Loki's right wrist and secured the manacle tightly around it. Loki bit his lip not to hiss in pain as he felt the cold metal pressing against his skin. Quickly, the agent seized Loki's left wrist and tied it up next to the other.

Loki's stomach was in knots.

He was completely powerless.

Again.

It was so much like in Asgard. All the memories flooded Loki's mind and Loki was unable to block the fear from creeping into his eyes.

He felt someone gripping him by the elbows and pushing him away.

"Loki."

Loki turned his head to see Thor coming to him.

Thor took Loki's hands into his own as his mother used to do when Loki needed her support.

"Loki, I promise I will make this right. I will not abandon you. Do you trust me?" Thor's words were urgent and filled with need.

Loki wanted to tell Thor that he believed that Thor would come for him but he was unable to say the words loudly because actually, he doubted his brother would manage to get him out of this.

Thor was amongst his friends now.

What if he forgot about Loki?

What if he got persuaded that Loki is way past being worth caring for?

What if Thor realised that he was better off without his brother anyway?

And so Loki only returned Thor's gaze before the grip on his elbows tightened and unable to resist it any longer, Loki let himself be dragged to one of the black Midgardian cars standing nearby. They seated him in between two agents whose pressing on Loki's elbows didn't loosen. The doors next to Loki were closed and with worry Loki noticed that Fury had taken the seat in front of him.

The car began to move and Fury turned his head back towards Loki.

"I don't know how you managed to deceive Thor and Banner but I will get the truth out of you. You will tell me what you are doing on this planet. I promise you that."


	3. Chapter II - My Imagination

**Thank you so much for all the reviews and to everyone who favourited or followed Grudge!** **Thousand thanks go to those of you who mentioned specific phrases or details that caught your attention.** **It means the world and it really motivates me to update as quickly as possible. Enjoy the next chapter :)**

* * *

Loki found himself walking through a narrow dark corridor. Despite his insecurities, he managed to hold his head up and keep the anxiety out of his expression. He was surrounded by countless agents wearing matching black uniforms. They treated him strictly but they didn't cause him any physical pain. They would grab him roughly and half-drag him out of the car when he lost himself in his thoughts for a while but they didn't do it with a sadistic pleasure.

Fury, however, seemed to be a different thing completely.

Loki didn't see him since he was hauled out of the car which was parked somewhere underground. The lighting was dim and the air stale. The agents kept walking in fast and unchanging pace and more they were heading towards their final destination, more difficulties Loki had with keeping up. His wrists being tied together were limiting him as he felt himself to be a bit off balance. Albeit, it was mostly his mind that was inflicting a lack of concentration on Loki.

 _Do not think about Asgardian dungeons._

 _Do not think about Odin._

 _Do not think about…_

Loki couldn't bring himself to articulate that name even inside his mind. Usually, it helped him to calm himself down if he mentally stated that all the things he feared, such as the dungeons or Odin, were not there anymore and so he didn't have to worry about them. It comforted him to make himself understand that he is not in the dungeons anymore and that Odin has no power to place him there again.

 _Odin's words from his so-called trial would appear a lot in Loki's mind._

You will spend the rest of your days in the dungeons.

 _The dungeons under the Asgardian palace were not inhuman; they were quite sterile. And yet they were driving Loki crazy._

 _Every day Loki was forced to spend there, he felt more claustrophobic and suffocating. The box he was locked in was so small and everyday it seemed to be getting even smaller. Loki would pace ceaselessly around his bed for hours; it was the only way how to get the surfeit of energy out of his system._

 _Yet what was torturing him most was his own imagination._

 _Loki was afraid of his own imagination._

All the time his subconscious was whispering to him that he is never getting away.

Never.

He will spend the rest of the days in the dungeons, locked away so his adopted family wouldn't have to be ashamed of him.

They can easily pretend that he never existed.

 _Then, Frigga came._

 _When she appeared in his cell, Loki couldn't believe his own eyes. He was lying on his back, mindlessly tossing a paperweight up and down. At that instant, he saw her._

 _Frigga was standing there in all her beauty._

 _"He said I would never see you again." Loki said overcoming the lump that formed in his throat._

 _"Not even the Allfather can prevent a mother from seeing her son." Frigga said confidently._

 _"You…you want to see me?" Loki whispered._

 _"Of course, I want to see you, Loki." Frigga said. She was still keeping a self-assured posture, but her voice was shaking slightly._

 _"He won't let you come again. He…he will not allow this." Loki said while sitting up. Without thinking, he bended his knees and brought his long arms around them._

 _"Odin has no right to forbid me from seeing you." Frigga said looking Loki in the eyes. She was standing a few steps away from him, but she didn't miss how Loki's eyes gave a quick blink of disbelief._

 _"I promise not to leave you alone, my son. I won't abandon you." Frigga said with a desperation audible in her voice._

 _Loki couldn't take it anymore. He felt his eyes filling with tears which blurred his vision._

No. His mother was there and his own weakness was preventing him from seeing her clearly.

 _Quickly, Loki dried his eyes with his sleeve. He saw Frigga looking at him tenderly._

 _"Mother." Loki breathed out while pushing himself off the bed and without further thinking he approached his mother._

 _Loki was never too comfortable nor used to physical contact but right now he was ready to convey all his affection and gratefulness to Frigga by embracing her tightly._

 _Yet when Loki lifted his arms to bring them around his mother's back, they went right through her._

 _Loki didn't understand and so he glanced with dismay at Frigga. She was returning his gaze with sad eyes._

 _"Loki, you were right. Odin doesn't allow me to physically come here to see you. Yet. But I promise that until I make him agree to this, I will come here everyday using my magic." Frigga said carefully, her eyes never leaving Loki's._

 _Loki didn't remember ever wanting anything more than to embrace his mother at that moment. When he found himself unable to do it, he broke down._

 _"I want to hug you. Please don't go away. Mummy, please don't go away." Loki's legs gave up and he crouched on the floor. Tears were streaming down his face._

 _Frigga went on her knees besides Loki._

 _"I promise we will be able to embrace each other sooner than you imagine, my son."_

 _Frigga was never able to keep her promise._

 _Loki never got to embrace his mother again._

 _All he got was an anonymous guard telling him that the queen was dead._

 _Loki never got to see her funeral. He kept telling himself that it must have been beautiful; Frigga was loved by everyone and she surely died protecting Asgard. Loki was certain that she was given a dignified and proper goodbye._

Such thoughts and memories were daily occupying Loki's mind. Since the moment Thor got him out of the dungeons to avenge their mother, Loki was inventing techniques to control his mind from wandering to dangerous territories.

He was partly successful. He could block Odin out of his mind and he was getting better at remembering Frigga as the loving mother from his childhood instead of the comforting one who was out of his reach and touch.

Yet there was one thing Loki had no control over.

 _Do not think about…_

These memories were so painful and traumatic to Loki that he couldn't even voice the names inside his mind. He came with all sorts of nicknames but it was never enough.

Do not think _about what happened after you let go._

 _Do not think about him._

 _Do not think about what he did to you._

 _You are not there anymore._

 _He cannot touch you._

 _He will never be able to torture and control you again._

Loki forced his mind to focus on the bleak present instead of the traumatic past. He drew all his attention to putting one foot in front of the other, making sure he wouldn't stumble in the unwelcoming corridor.

Suddenly, the procession stopped in front of a heavy metal door. Fury himself opened the lock and Loki was being dragged inside a small, faintly litted room. Once inside, the agents finally let go of his elbows and left the room, closing the door behind them.

Loki was left in the room with Fury only.

Loki shivered involuntarily. He knew that Fury didn't trust him and he was aware that Fury was willing to go as far as he considered necessary to get the information he wanted.

When Fury made a step towards Loki, the raven-haired god found himself moving backwards until his back hit the cold stone wall.

Fury smirked with satisfaction.

"Are you afraid of me, real power? I remember you coming to step on us. What did you compare us to? Ah…a boot. And you were the ant. Would you say the roles reversed?" Fury hissed while walking straight to Loki. He stopped a mere foot in front of Loki who lifted his tied wrists in a desperate attempt to protect himself.

"Do you think that I will step on you this time?" Loki was unable to keep the fear out of his eyes when hearing Fury's words.

"Do you think it will hurt?"

"Please, I…" Loki began to say only to be interrupted by Fury's cheerless laughter.

"Did you really just plead?" Fury looked at Loki with venom in his eyes. Loki didn't say anything; despite being scared to dead, he was still a prince of Asgard, a former king and he had his dignity. He would not give it all up in front of Fury. No matter how much the situation reminded him of…him.

Loki's train of thoughts was interrupted by an explosion of pain in his right cheek. Loki's sight went black for a second as Fury's fist hit him without warning. Before Loki managed to put himself together, Fury kicked him in his stomach. The force of the blow sent Loki back against the wall; his skull crashed, and Loki found himself slipping on his knees. He was breathing heavily, clutching to his stomach while his head was resonating with pain. He heard Fury jeer at him and with all the self-control he was able to summon, Loki slowly lifted his face to look at Fury.

"Isn't this simpler?" Fury said vindictively. "Pleading is always more effective on your knees." He sneered hideously at Loki who shivered but kept an eye contact with Fury.

"Unfortunately, it won't be effective for you. You will tell me everything I want to know. We start tomorrow." And with that Fury turned his back on Loki and quickly left the cell.

When the heavy door closed behind Fury, Loki finally released the breath he didn't realise he was holding. He laid his tied up wrists on the floor and for a second allowed his head to rest on them. He felt a sharp pain in his stomach with every breath he took.

Then, slowly, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and carefully rested his back against the hard wall. He felt the blood coming out of the wound in his cheek to stream down his jaw.

Loki brought the knees to his chest, extended his arms around them and rested his head against the cold wall.

He hoped that Thor would come before Fury did.


	4. Chapter III - Save Me

**Thanks to all the reviewers, followers and those who favourited!**

* * *

Loki didn't know for how long he was wandering in between drowsing and sleeping; his cell had no windows and the only slightly yellow, dull light was coming out of a long, dirty cuboid placed right over the heavy metal door.

The raven-haired god sighed and looked around to take in his surroundings. Before he fell into the troubled sleep, he didn't pay much attention to his cell. When Fury was inside, Loki was focusing on keeping his whole attention on the director. Despite his efforts, Fury still managed to catch him off guard and frighten him.

Loki has always hated to admit to himself that he was afraid. Thor would never show fear and Loki naturally assumed that his older brother never felt it either.

Loki hated himself for being so weak, and so he would lie to himself, pretending that he was never afraid. This habit, of course, was completely shattered by…him in the void.

Loki smirked unhappily. The problem with lying was that sooner or later, the liar starts to believe his own lies. However, never the small, beneficial lies such as _you don't have to be afraid_. Only the devastating ones such as _I remember you tossing me into the abyss_. This leads his brain into a chaos out of which it is arduous to escape.

Loki's mind was in such a state of chaos for a very long time; only quite recently he began to be once again certain of his memories being truly his own and the implicated truths hidden behind them.

Such as that Thor didn't actually toss him into the abyss. He let go.

"Stop." Loki said aloud to himself. He had to stop his mind from drifting into those toxic corners of his mind. Once again, the god tried to concentrate on the room, trying to find anything that he could use to his advantage, preferably something that would help him escape.

In the whole room, which could not have been bigger than nine square metres, there was absolutely nothing. The four walls, the ceiling and the floor all had the same bleak grey colour and within them there was only stale air.

Loki moved his shoulder blades against the cold wall; he ceased hugging his knees and brought his hands on top of them. Curiously, he eyed the manacles binding his wrists. The metal was pressed tightly against his skin; when Loki tried to flex the fingers of his other hand enough to try to move the manacle on his wrist, he hissed in pain. The hard metal only dug deeper into his flesh, scratching his skin in the process. There was no way he would be able to get the bloody chains off him, especially not without his magic.

Ironically, a yawn escaped his lips. If only he had a bed. Not only it was very uncomfortable and highly inappropriate for a prince - who he undoubtedly still was - to sit on the ground, it was also humiliating. Bloody hell, he even got a bed in the Asgardian dungeons.

So much for Thor telling him that all will work out just fine; that the Midgardians are less focused on the art of war than the Asgardians. _They are simply more humane_ , Thor would tell him ironically.

Since when it was humane to deprive people, or gods, of beds, Loki didn't know.

He felt himself getting annoyed with the whole situation. He became the saviour of Asgard and for what? To rot in a cell? While his oaf of a brother pretended to be a king who knows what he is doing? Loki was beginning to be angry at the whole universe when he heard muffled footsteps behind the door.

Instinctively, he knew it to be Fury. Unwillingly, Loki shivered, and he felt his forehead covering in cold sweat. Instantly, the rage left him as he felt the dread spreading into every cell of his body. Loki knew what it meant to be physically and mentally abused; the choice wasn't between being brave while keeping his dignity or being cowardly and telling everything to his tormentors. Everyone broke in the end. It took Loki some time to fully acknowledge this and stop blaming himself for the Midgard attack failure. Finally, Loki admitted to himself that everyone, even Thor, would plead for mercy in the end. And so he only waited in trepidation while his eyes followed the sound of the keys in the keyhole.

The anger he felt towards Thor was completely gone. Loki closed his eyes and thought of his brother making his way through SHIELD base to get him out of here.

 _Thor would do it_. Loki kept telling himself.

 _Thor will come._

Loki repeated this to himself as a mantra when the doors cracked open and his eyes set on the unpleasantly familiar face of Fury.

Fury's face twisted into an ugly smirk.

"Let's begin."

...

Thor was shaking with rage and hopelessness; he knew his eyes were turning into flashes of light but he was unable to control himself. He knew he had done the right thing. He was the king of Asgard and his supreme duty was to protect its inhabitants. He had to put them over his brother.

As his father would.

Thor felt his fingers twitching at the energy that was forming within them. He had done what his father would; he gave Loki up for the good of the realm.

Watching his little brother being taken away from him caused immense pain to Thor. The God of Thunder stood idly by, watching Loki's shoulders hunch while being led as a criminal towards one of the black cars.

What struck Thor the most, however, was that Loki didn't even try to fight back. It wasn't in his brother's nature to go down without a fight or complaining. Especially the complaining. Then he remembered what his father told him after Loki's trial.

 _"_ _He let himself being hauled into the dungeons?" Thor asked incredulously. "Didn't he try to talk his way out?"_

 _"_ _In the beginning he did." Odin answered simply._

 _"_ _And then what?" Thor needed to know more. He didn't want to participate in Loki's trial and now he felt guilty for leaving his brother alone. Thor felt a strong resentment towards Loki, but he could never hate him._

 _"_ _Then we had a little conversation which ended by me assuring Loki of you becoming the king when the time was right. Then the guards pulled him out of the room. He didn't say anything more or fight back."_

 _"_ _That is so unlike Loki." Thor said contemplatively. "Father, what did you tell Loki before you sentenced him?"_

 _Thor would swear he saw a flash of guilt in Odin's eyes._

 _"_ _It doesn't matter." Odin said quickly, regaining control of his expression._

 _"_ _I have the right to know." Thor said as authoritatively as possible without being openly defiant._

 _"_ _Then you should have attended the trial."_

 _"_ _I couldn't see him. I am so angry at him." Thor said avoiding Odin's gaze._

 _Odin gave a sight of resignation. "I told him that his birthright was to die as a child cast out on a frozen rock. I told him that he would never see Frigga again. When he asked if you would become a king, I told him that you had to strive to undo the damage he had done but afterwards you would be king. After that, Loki didn't say anything and the guards took him away."_

 _Thor swallowed heavily. "Father. Doesn't this remind you of something?"_

 _"_ _What do you mean, Thor?" Odin seemed confused._

 _"_ _Loki had his mouth full of words even when he was hanging from the Bifrost. It was only when you said no that he let go."_

 _"_ _Do you think that my words have affected him in such a way that he gave up resisting?"_

 _"_ _I mean…didn't this happen on Bifrost?" Thor asked insecurely, unware whether he is not overstepping some boundaries._

 _"_ _I don't know, Thor. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Loki will spend the rest of his days in the dungeons and we will never have to worry about his schemes and lies again."_

After the memory, Thor felt the rage leaving him while numbness filled its place. He understood; Loki felt unloved and friendless once again and the idea of resisting seemed pointless to him. That's why he didn't say to Thor that he trusted him. Loki didn't believe that Thor would do everything in his power to get him out.

Suddenly, Thor felt exhausted. It was like a circle; Thor wouldn't feel comfortable expressing affection towards Loki because he feared that Loki would laugh at his sentiment and stab him in the back. As a result, Loki would think that Thor held no respect or fondness towards him and he would actually betray Thor to hide his own hurt.

Thor felt a strong hand pressing to his shoulder and he looked up to see Banner standing next to him.

"Thor, we should go." Banner said carefully.

"Where?" Thor didn't feel strong enough to utter long sentences.

"The all-knowing and all-seeing guy…"

"Heimdall."

"Yeah. He can take your people to shelter. SHIELD will show him the way. You come with us to Tony's place. You look like you could use some rest."

"I can't leave my people." Thor said feeling a heavy burden in his chest.

"Actually, you can."

"No, I can't. You don't understand how it works on Asgard. I…" Thor was interrupted by Heimdall who silently approached the two Avengers.

"Thor." Heimdall said in a fatherly tone. "I managed to take care of your people when Hela usurped the throne. I can keep them safe for a while longer."

"I would never doubt your ability, Heimdall. It is just…"

"They want you to go." Heimdall said interrupting Thor again. In a way, Thor was grateful that Heimdall's attitude towards him didn't change when he became the king.

"What?" Thor asked being confused.

"The people understand, Thor." Heimdall said gently. "When your brother ruled Asgard disguised as Odin, Asgard was prospering. Surprisingly, he didn't make such a bad king in the end, your brother." Heimdall added smiling softly. "When they understood that it was Loki who was actually in power, they felt angry at first. Then, they were only astonished that Loki had never done anything unjust, never misused his powers….well, maybe other than a little bit of narcistic self-glorification. Odin was a powerful king. No one would ever question that. Loki, on the other hand, seemed to display a deeper understanding for those in pain or suffering. None of his orders were ever cruel or intending to cause harm. Actually, he was an attentive, dutiful and just king." Heimdall paused a little when he saw Thor smile.

"I would never believe you could speak about my brother in this manner."

"Everyone deserves a second chance. Besides, the people know who brought the spaceship that took them safely from Asgard before it erupted. They know that Loki saved them. They demand that you get him back."

Thor was quiet for a while.

"Heimdall?" Thor said after he managed to control the emotions in his voice.

"Yes, my king?"

"I wish you told this to Loki."

"I shall in time. Though I fear that it may only cause him to get the idea that he should have a statue built on Midgard as well."

Thor smiled a little. "It might."

"Heimdall?" Thor addressed the former gatekeeper again. "Tell the people that I owe them my thanks and gratitude. I will return to you when I get the prince back."

"Certainly." Heimdall answered and with a short nod he went back to the Asgardians.

Banner, who was watching the whole conversation with childlike curiosity, coughed to get Thor's attention.

"Eh right. Now that the matter is settled, we should go, buddy." He slapped Thor on the back. Thor only nodded and together with Banner went towards the rest of the team.

"Thor?" Banner said with hint of uncertainty.

"Yes?"

"I can't believe I am saying this, but we will get him back." Banner hated seeing Thor so heart-broken so soon after watching his home burning in flames.

"I fear the rest of the team won't be that enthusiastic about the idea." Thor answered drily.

"Yeah. Probably." Banner nodded only.

"Banner? Will you go with me to SHIELD tomorrow to try to reason with Fury?" Thor asked carefully.

"Of course, Thor. That's what friends are for."

Thor didn't even remember how he found himself in the Stark Tower. However, as soon as he did, he excused himself and retreated to the room designated for him. He flung himself onto a bed and let the weariness and exhaustion from the last days fill him. The God of Thunder felt asleep with his littler brother on the mind.

...

"Why did you attack the Earth?" Fury yelled for the second time. Loki flinched but otherwise gave no indicating of intending to answer to the director.

"What are you doing here now?" Fury screamed. Loki wondered whether the loudness was intended to intimidate him.

"I came here with the rest of Asgard." Loki said only, keeping an eye contact with Fury.

 _Don't let him know how afraid you actually are._

"You came here to do what exactly?" Fury hissed.

Loki hesitated before answering. "To seek…refuge."

Fury's cheerless laugh echoed through the cell.

"You came to seek refuge on the planet you had attacked?" Fury's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"I know it sounds…strange. But it is true." Loki said only.

To Loki's horror, Fury's rage seemed to be accumulating.

"Are you trying to provoke me, puny god? Do you think it to be wise?"

Loki didn't react anyhow.

"Thor said you were sentenced for the rest of your days. How did you get out of prison?"

"I…escaped. With Thor." Loki was weighting his words carefully.

"I see. Thor had, incomprehensively for me, always seemed to hold a…certain affection for his poor little misunderstood brother. I remember his face when I mentioned that we should torture the truth out of you." Fury's eyes flashed dangerously.

Loki didn't know if to feel threatened by Fury's words or strangely relieved that someone as random as Fury thought that Thor still loved Loki.

"I will ask for the last time. What are you doing on Earth?" Fury made a step towards Loki who used all his self-control not to curl into a more defensive position than his current seated one was.

"I only came here with Thor. I mean no harm." Loki said, this time unable to keep the despair out of his voice.

Instantly, he knew his answer was wrong.

Suddenly, Fury stood right in front of him. He jerked Loki upright into a standing position by pulling up the chains binding the god's wrists. Loki trembled but managed to stay on his feet.

With satisfaction, Loki noticed that he was much taller than Fury. Even without his magic he could be able to….

Loki's mind wasn't allowed to finish the idea as his whole consciousness was suddenly suffused with agony. His knees gave up and he found himself lying on the ground struggling to catch his breath. When Fury's boot hit his stomach he felt a moan escaping his lips. Before he could regain his composure, Fury kicked him again. And again. And again.

Loki curled up, putting his chained wrists in front of his stomach in a desperate attempt to protect himself from more pain. It was pointless, however, as Fury's sole made contact with his face and Loki felt a dull pain in his nose. He instinctively moved his hands to cover his face, unable to defend himself from more blows onto his abdomen and chest.

Loki tried to keep quiet, biting his lips until they were bloody. When several of his ribs broke with a loud crack, he couldn't hold it back anymore and cried out in pain. It seemed to only encourage Fury as he started hitting him more violently.

 _Fight back. You have to fight back._

Loki kept telling himself while he was lying helplessly on the ground. There was no way he could manage to stand up and fight against Fury in his state with his magic suppressed.

 _Thor would not let this happen to himself. He would fight back. He wouldn't let anyone beat up and humiliate him._

 _Why couldn't he be like Thor?_

Loki closed his eyes to separate himself from the room and Fury. Tears of pain and despair made their way down his bloodied face, falling unceremoniously on the ground.

The pain wouldn't stop.


	5. Chapter IV - The Light

**First of all, I need to thank everybody who is reading this story. Your reactions make me incredibly happy.**

* * *

Loki didn't have a clue for how long he was helplessly curled up the floor of his cell, suffering from Fury's merciless torture.

The God of Mischief had no idea whether Fury was asking him some questions or was only using him as a punching bag to release his anger and frustration. Loki's ears were ringing and the omnipresent pain flooded his brain and clouded his mind from any rational thinking.

He couldn't even focus on his brother anymore. Yes, Thor would never let anyone beat him bloody without putting up a fight. Yet as more agony was consuming the paralysed god and the last drops of hope were leaving him, Loki came to believe that he wasn't even worth comparing to the mighty Thor.

Who was he anyway?

He used to be a shadow wandering through the Asgardian Palace; his official title of a prince commanding the only respect he ever received. Now he knew that he never deserved the respect as his title as well as his whole coming of age was a lie.

Then he became a prisoner of…him in the void. There he was transformed from an insignificant shadow to an unforgettable monster serving an even more hideous creature. That creature did everything in his powers to erase all the compassion he had left. For a while, the creature seemed to have succeeded.

After that, he was forcibly returned to Asgard, only to be relegated from a former prince to a prisoner so monstrous that everyone was forbidden from visiting him.

Finally, when he started to feel himself again and saw the lost brotherly love at the end of the tunnel, Loki was reminded of his own insignificance by being traded for the safety of the Asgardians.

Suddenly, Loki felt another of his ribs being broken. The affliction of spasm that passed throughout his whole body overshadowed all the other pain and made Loki remember Odin's last words.

 _My sons._

Loki was touched that despite everything, Odin still in some way considered him to be his son. However, when he ruminated about the occasion later, the old rage resurfaced inside him again.

 _My sons? Didn't Odin explicitly state that he wished Loki dead?_

 _Frigga is the only reason you are still alive._

Remembering the words from his hasty trial, Loki considered the Allfather's words more hypocrite than ever. If it were up to Odin, Loki would have been executed upon entering Asgard. Odin's own words left no possibly for any other interpretation. They were clear enough. So by what right did he now addressed him as his son?

Loki hated himself because he knew that despite all of this, he still wholeheartedly wished for Odin to mean the words. Bloody hell, had Odin tried to embrace him, Loki would gladly allow himself to melt in his arms and feel like a son of someone again.

Loki was convinced that Odin was past forgiving for the lies he inflicted upon him and for the cruel words he said to him.

 _Your birthright was to die._

At the same time, had there been a possibility for him and Odin to be reconciled, Loki suspected that he would be unable not to grab it with all his might. He wanted the only father-figure he had ever known to forgive him for the atrocities he committed. He needed him to understand that had he been in control of his conscience, he would never have attacked Midgard. Had he not been afraid that the heartless Frost Giants may try to claim him and hurt his family, he would never have tried to wipe out Jotunheim.

It was frustrating.

The rational part of his brain was screaming at him that Odin deserved no forgiveness from him. The sentimental one was yelling the exact opposite. Then there was a little voice whispering that if Odin didn't deserve forgiveness, then he didn't either.

Loki's brain was drowning in contradictions.

He saw the light when he and Thor seemed to be brothers again.

Now the light was all gone.

Loki wanted to yell in frustration. He wished to throw all these contradictions into Odin's face but as usually, the Allfather prevented any possibility of further discussion by disappearing. It seemed to be his way of dealing with family situations. When Loki confronted him about his Frost Giant heritage with million questions, Odin fell into the Odinsleep. When all that Loki needed was to be given a safe space to try to explain what happened to him in the void, the Allfather killed all his hopes by automatically assuming that his adopted son committed the crimes only because he wanted a throne. Finally, when Odin seemed to accept Loki as his son once again, he actually died before Loki had any possibility to say a word to ask him if he meant those words or not.

Odin's judgement had always had a profound effect on Loki's emotional state. It affected him much more than he liked to admit. However, the implications of his brother's attitude towards him were even more painful for the raven-haired god.

 _Frigga is the only reason you are still alive._

Did that mean that Thor wanted him to be executed as well?

Loki spent countless hours wondering if Thor pleaded for his younger brother to be executed. His conclusion was that Odin said it only to hurt him; to punish him for attempting to kill the crown prince on Midgard. However, Loki never found the courage to actually talk to Thor about this moment. He knew that he wouldn't be able to take it had Thor admitted that after the Midgardian failure, he wanted him dead. Frankly, Loki was afraid of his own actions if Thor told him this.

Loki was spared from prolonging the trip throughout the painful memory lane by realising that someone dragged him up by his arms. He allowed himself to fully open his tear-stained eyes and when his pupils adjusted to the dim lightning, he understood that he was being held up by two SHIELD agents. He didn't notice them coming; since Fury had started kicking him, time and place stopped existing for Loki. All he could feel was pain and agonizing memories.

Trying to put himself together, Loki attempted to fully focus on the present moment. He was on his knees. However, all his weight was rested upon the two anonymous agents who were painfully gripping his upper arms and so holding him up. The weakened god was certain that if they let go, he would immediately fall back on the coarse ground.

He found himself drawing hoarse breaths, his body naturally trying to breathe as little as possible because every time his lungs tried to fill up with air, his chest seemed to be stabbed by millions of blades. The broken ribs were keeping his chest in constant pain.

Loki was aware of his cheeks being bruised and bleeding from the few blows he didn't manage to block out by his bound-up wrists. The skin where the manacles were secured was all gone by now and Loki counted it as another source of pain on his beaten-up body.

Yet all the pain enabled Loki to stay in the present time and after having understood his condition, his eyes went to search for Fury. Where was the Director? Despite the smallness and bareness of the cell, Loki couldn't see him anywhere. Did he leave? Loki truly hoped so but at the same time he didn't understand why the agents would be holding him up for no reason.

All of a sudden, Loki felt someone lifting his bowed head up by his hair. Loki's neck was violently pushed back and the god found himself staring up at Fury who was eyeing him with an annoyed expression. Before Loki had any time to understand what this could mean, he felt a cold, sharp blade touching his neck right under his Adam's apple. Involuntarily, he swallowed heavily which caused the metal to cut his skin. Trying to breathe as lightly as possible, Loki sought to understand whether Fury meant to kill him.

"Look at you, puny god. You are completely in my power." Fury hissed the words and tremor ran through Loki's body. Fury seemed to sense it and his mouth twisted into a vengeful smirk. He bowed his head until his mouth was right next to Loki's right ear. Loki could feel Fury's breath. It made him shiver even more.

"You are so weak. Helpless. Alone. Nobody cares about you. Thor is with his fellow Avengers now. He has forgotten about the burden of his useless, younger brother." Fury was whispering so that only Loki could hear him. The god closed his eyes to prevent showing that the Director's words have affected him.

"LOOK AT ME!" Fury yelled at the top of his voice while trying to push Loki's head even further. Without thinking, Loki obeyed and fixed his frightened eyes on his tormentor. He didn't dare to speak.

Something seemed to catch Fury's attention as he abruptly interrupted his stare at Loki and focused on something out of Loki's visual field.

"I wish we had more time together but unfortunately, there is a pressing matter that you must attend to." Fury said and without further explanation removed the knife from Loki's throat and with quick instructions to the agents, which were inaudible for Loki, left the cell.

Loki's tensed body relieved immediately when Fury disappeared from his cell and he found himself hanging from the agents' grip like a rag doll. He had no idea what the Director meant but he was sure he would find out soon enough.

"Can you stand up?" An emotionless voice of one of the anonymous agents echoed throughout the cell.

Loki tried to compel his legs to cooperate but found himself to be too exhausted. Slowly, he shook his head.

He wasn't able to see the agents' reaction because his chin was resting against his jugular notch. He imagined the agents to shoot a glance at each other and soon he found himself being hauled out of his cell towards the dark corridor.

…

 _Stupid Thor._

Fury was walking in a quick pace towards the room where Thor and Banner were waiting for him.

He knew he could have broken the evil god. By the time his two assistants arrived to hold him up, Loki didn't seem to be fully aware of his surroundings. He must have been in agonizing physical pain and from Fury's experience, everyone broke in the end. Fury was determined to speed the process up as much as possible. Knowing the rough outline of Loki's history, he knew that by appealing to his inferiority complex and fear of being abandoned, the puny god should break rather quickly and tell him everything he longed to know.

Unfortunately, he found his interrogation interrupted by being informed that Thor and Banner were waiting for him, demanding to see Loki. He quickly told the agents to clean the prisoner so that the visitors wouldn't be able to see the full extent of the torture. Then, he left the cell to hold the two Avengers up until Loki was made presentable enough so that Fury wouldn't risk being attacked by his overprotective brother.

Fury opened the door to the fairly spacious room in which Thor and Banner were waiting. When he stepped into the room, he saw that Thor was wasting no time as the God of Thunder quickly fixed his gaze on him.

"Where is my brother?" Thor demanded. Fury noticed that his remaining eye flashed dangerously as he asked the question.

"I instructed two agents to bring him here. They should arrive in no time." Fury said officially.

"For your own sake, I hope that no one used any violence again Loki." Thor said, his tone warning.

"I interrogated him with adequate force."

"What does that mean?" Thor's voice was no more than a whisper now.

"He is a god, he will be fine. I didn't hurt him…much."

"What have you said?" Thor screamed and tried to make his way towards Fury only to be held back by Banner.

"Thor, calm down. Wait until Loki is here." The doctor said sensibly.

With difficulty, Thor assumed control of his rage. He kept glaring daggers at Fury but his stomach was in knots. Whatever the SHIELD had done to Loki, it was his fault. He allowed them to take his little brother despite knowing the grudge they held against him.

 _It was his fault._

…

Loki's handcuffed wrists hit the ground as he found himself being thrown onto the floor stone. A moan escaped his lips as the hit knocked the wind out of him. His chest was screaming in pain.

Loki had neither energy nor will to move and so he was just lying there on his stomach with his hands underneath him.

"What did he mean by wash him into a presentable state? Look at him – he can hardly breathe. How does he expect us to remove the traces of such an excessive torture in the next ten minutes?" Loki heard one of the agents saying.

"Don't ask me." Replied the other one. "Let's just wash the blood off him and then let's see what else we can do."

Loki couldn't make a proper sense from the words he heard but somehow it didn't sound too pleasant.

"Can you lift him up? I will…." The agent's words were interrupted by his sudden scream. Abruptly, Loki heard the other agent breathe out in surprise and soon he heard two dull cracks as the agents' bodies hit the floor.

Then there was a silence. Loki had no idea who disposed of the agents but he allowed himself to glance up in hope that it was his brother coming to save him.

When he saw the person's shoes, he immediately understood that it wasn't his brother. Loki was sure to have seen the boots before but he was too terrified to look up to see the full figure of the person.

Then Loki heard the words.

"Your saviour is here."


	6. Chapter V - The Worthy One

"It has been half an hour. Fury, what have you done to my brother?" Thor's furious voice interrupted the long silence that fell on everyone since Banner had managed to persuade Thor to simply wait for Loki to be brought to them. No one spoke since then; everyone was just eyeing the others impatiently.

Fury was also becoming nervous. Yes, Loki looked a mess, but he gave an explicit order to the agents to hurry up. He began to worry whether something unexpected happened.

…

"Your saviour is here."

Loki knew the voice. Surprised, he looked up to see a familiar face staring at him.

…

"Enough. I will go and search this whole place until I find my brother. Are you going with me, Banner?" Thor said resolutely.

Banner, still trying to keep a rational approach, glanced at Fury.

"If this is some trick, you better say it now, Fury. Otherwise you give me no option but to join Thor. And being tricked and forced to do something I don't want to do makes me…angry."

Fury was running out of options. It would be highly unlikely of his agents not to listen to clearly stated orders. Something must have happened.

Suddenly, the door burst open.

"Sir." An agent ran into the room breathless. Fury looked up to see Agent Smith who was charged with bringing Loki.

"Smith!" Fury barked. "What is happening? Where is Loki?"

"Sir, we were attacked. When I woke up, the prisoner was gone. Clark is still lying unconsciously on the floor."

"Did you just lose my brother?" Thor yelled. Some of the light bulbs exploded when the wave of electricity ran through the room. The God of Thunder moved to stand just a few inches in front of the agent who was clearly intimidated by the tall, raging figure of the Avenger.

"No, sir. It is just that…"

"Tell me exactly what happened." Thor interrupted authoritatively. Before Fury had a chance to intervene, the words began flooding out of the agent's mouth.

"We took the prisoner to the infirmary to clean and treat him…"

"What?" Thor cut off the agent again. "Why did you need to bring him to infirmary?" Thor articulated each world with extra effort.

"To put him into a presentable state to meet you." The agent mumbled only.

"FURY?!" Thor turned around. His rage got hold of him and for a second he forgot that his brother was missing. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing serious. I told you that I interrogated him with adequate force." Fury tried to keep his voice controlled but Thor's rage was disheartening him.

"Adequate force?! Why did he need to be treated before coming here then?!"

"I am doing my job, Thor! Your brother is a criminal!" Fury now raised his voice too. The situation was escalating quickly out of control.

"Did you torture him?" All of a sudden, Thor's voice was quiet but no less threatening.

Fury didn't reply.

"Why did you bother trying to make it appear as if you didn't hurt him?" Thor still kept his voice dangerously low and began moving toward Fury. "Didn't it occur to you that Loki would tell me what you had done to him?"

"He wouldn't." Fury retorted confidently.

"What makes you so sure?" Thor's words were no more than a whisper now.

"I know fear when I see it. He was terrified; he wouldn't give me any excuse to punish him further. And as he doesn't seem to believe that you will raise a finger to actually get him out of here, what do you think he would choose? Hm? Telling you how I abused him in hope that you care enough to do something about it? Or keep his mouth shut to make sure the torture wouldn't get worse?"

"So you admit that you tortured him." Thor pronounced absolutely clearly and emotionlessly. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, in an instant, Thor stormed and knocked Fury down.

"You sick bastard!" Thor screamed as he smashed Fury into the wall. The Director was taken by surprise and soon he found himself on the ground. He lifted his eyes to see Thor standing over him ready to attack. There was fear in Fury's eye.

"Thor! Enough!" Banner's voice brought Thor back from his rage and he turned around to face his friend.

"He tortured my little brother." Thor's voice was shaking now but not with rage; it was despair.

"Exactly, Thor. Loki. We are here because of Loki. Leave Fury. He is not worth it. We must find your brother." Banner kept his sentences short and rational to make sure that Thor understood every word he said even if his mind was still in fighting mood.

Thor only nodded. He turned his attention towards the agent.

"Take me to the infirmary where you saw my brother for the last time."

The agent glanced at Fury unsure. Meanwhile, Fury pushed himself back to his feet.

"Do as he says." He said only. He lost the control of the situation and he hated it.

"Thor?" Banner spoke to Thor before they followed the agent out of the door. "Who could have taken Loki?"

"I don't know, Bruce. Loki has many enemies on Midgard, I fear." Thor shrugged his shoulders, his expression full of worry.

"We will find him, Thor." Banner squeezed Thor's shoulders in reassurance and both the Avengers followed the agent out of the door. Fury kept his distance but walked a few metres behind the group. This was still his institution and he will command his respect.

…

Loki couldn't believe his eyes. Few metres away from him, there was Heimdall looking at him sympathetically.

"That is my line." Loki found himself saying without really intending to. Instinctively, he knew that the former gatekeeper didn't mean him any harm. They may have done injustice to each other in the past, but Loki knew that both of them have moved on since then.

Heimdall chuckled but soon his expression turned worried. "You look terrible, my prince."

"Do I?" Loki had no idea where all the sarcasm was coming from as he was still lying on the ground and the simple movement of holding his head up was causing him profound discomfort.

"You do look better than the statue though." Heimdall said matter-of-factly and moved towards Loki. The raven-haired god was grateful to Heimdall for his comments; he felt less of an useless oaf when he was not being reminded of his pathetic state. Moreover, no one beats Loki at his own game.

"There was nothing wrong with the statue. I found it perfectly appropriate." He mumbled only as Heimdall was crouching in front of him.

"Whatever you say." The former gate-keeper answered and focused his attention on Loki's body. He frowned noticing all the injuries. Loki being his perceptive himself noticed the change in the air and got more serious.

"What are you doing here, Heimdall?" Loki breathed out quickly.

"It seems that I am saving you." Heimdall uttered only.

"How did you know where I was?" Loki asked confused only to understand what a stupid question it was. "Ah. Right." Loki mumbled and noticed that Heimdall put his sword on the ground and now was extending his arm to examine his injuries.

Loki was still lying on his stomach, his arms under him and his legs crouched in a strange manner. He tried to pull himself up to a sitting, more dignified position.

"Don't try to move. You may hurt yourself further." Heimdall said gently. Loki obeyed, mainly because of the softness in Heimdall's voice made him understand that the gatekeeper truly didn't want him to injure himself further. Yet when Heimdall's hand reached his flank, Loki flinched unwillingly. He closed his eyes in shame, loathing himself for appearing so weak in front of one of the strongest warriors of Asgard.

"It's alright, Loki. I am not going to hurt you. I just want to see the depth of the injuries to determine whether it is safe for you to move right now." Heimdall said and his rational, soothing voice was calming Loki down. Slowly, with his eyes still shut, Loki nodded.

"I am sorry." The prince whispered quietly.

"There is nothing to be sorry for. If someone did this to me, I would also hate for anyone to touch me."

Loki opened his eyes to look at Heimdall, searching for any signs of mockery. The gate-keepers face, however, seemed to be sincere.

"Thor wouldn't let himself be beaten up like this." Loki found himself murmuring. Immediately, he wished he had not uttered the words. It sounded too much like self-pity.

"Wouldn't he?" Heimdall questioned and looked Loki straight into his beautiful yet sad eyes. "Maybe you're right. He wouldn't. But that could be because he has someone watching his back. I remember Thor being punched by Kurse, unable to set himself free. Fortunately, there was someone to help him out." Heimdall paused for a second to let his words slip into the prince's mind. He wished the Allfather would try to talk to his younger son more; much could have been avoided had he done so. "We can't do everything by our own, Loki." He chose to address the prince by his name this time. The Asgard blew up in flames anyway and Heimdall felt a bit done with formalities.

He was glad to see that his words were taking effect upon Loki.

"Thor has the Avengers now." Loki whispered finally, avoiding the gatekeeper's eyes.

"That is true. Would they, however, know about his love for snakes? Would they understand the way his mood changes so quickly?" Heimdall challenged.

The Watcher of Worlds was glad and a little bit proud when the God of Mischief didn't manage to find a reply.

"It is brave of you to talk to me about this, Loki." He added after a while.

"Brave? It's pathetic." Loki hissed.

"You are sharing with me your deepest fears. That requires courage, Loki. It is not brave to keep everything inside and let it overcome you. Sometimes not keeping the vulnerability inside but letting it show, not to your foes but to those who care about you, can be the strongest act."

Once again, Heimdall managed to leave the silver-tongued god speechless.

"You hated me." Loki said after a moment.

"That is not true. I hated that you led the Jotuns into Asgard. And I hated the idea of you becoming the King because I thought it would conduce the place I loved into ruins." Heimdall paused slightly. "It turned out you didn't bring Asgard to its doom. It was Odin and his lies, secrets and scheming that ultimately unleashed Ragnarok. You did quite a good job leading Asgard. Many Asgardians think so."

"Do they?" Loki asked trying to keep the hope from appearing in his voice. He failed miserably.

"I mean, there were certain objections towards all the funds going to support theatre productions and when people heard about the idea of a second statue, depicting you gloriously fighting off four Dark Elves, they weren't that enthusiastic. Overall though, your rule was prosperous. Why do you think that I didn't try to stop you?"

Loki smiled, remembering the design for the statue number two. In fact, he was quite amused and took it as a challenge how far they would let him go in his self-glorification. Or his son's glorification as it was to them, of course.

Loki allowed himself to admit that Heimdall's words meant a lot to him. He always cared about Asgard and he truly tried to make sure that things woud function the way they should.

"Thank you, Heimdall." Loki whispered after a while.

"You're welcome. Will you let me examine the injuries now?" Heimdall asked only.

Biting his lower lip, Loki nodded in agreement. He followed Heimdall's movements with his eyes, feeling more secure when he could precisely see the gatekeeper's intentions.

Heimdall gently examined Loki's ribcage, frowning deeply upon the extent of the injuries. He noticed that many of Loki's ribs were broken which explained the prince's hoarse breathing.

The Watcher of Worlds was glad that his Queen couldn't see what the Mortals have done to her son.

Fortunately, the rest of Loki's body seemed to be saved from any serious damage. It didn't take a genius to infer that the prince was probably all bruised up and in pain. For now, however, Heimdall was looking for anything that would need his immediate attention. Not finding anything absolutely urgent, he understood that the time was for them to depart.

"Okay, Loki. I am going to help you to stand up and then we will get out of here."

Loki only nodded. He felt Heimdall's hands on his forearms and soon enough he found himself being lifted up to his unsteady feet. His head felt a bit dizzy from the sudden movement but Heimdall held him tightly until the light-headedness went away. Then, the gatekeep's eyes fixed on Loki's handcuffs. The raven-haired god understood that he was trying to see if he could take them off.

"Do you think that Fury has the keys?" Heimdall asked Loki.

Loki shrugged. "I would say so."

"Then we need him. There is no way I am removing these without the keys. They must have been made by this Doctor Strange." Heimdall's train of thoughts was interrupted by Loki rolling his eyes.

"I had the pleasure to meet him. A truly charming chap." Loki articulated with obvious sarcasm. Having observed his prince's meeting with the Midgardian sorcerer, Heimdall wisely decided to ignore Loki's statement.

"Anyway, we need to wait for Fury. We need the keys."

A shiver ran down Loki's spine. "I think our priority should be to get out of here. We can think about the bloody manacles later." Loki had no desire to ever see Fury's face again.

"The manacles prevent you from using your magic. You urgently need it to be able to heal yourself. We are not leaving without the keys." Heimdall's tone didn't allow for any protests.

Loki noticed that Heimdall looked around the room. The tired god did the same; he realised that they were standing in a sterile, white room with many equipment that would be usually used by the healers. Loki felt his stomach squeezing. He didn't want to think about what they possibly wanted to do to him in this chamber.

"Right. Come on." Without another word, Heimdall gently pushed Loki and the duo began to make their way out of the infirmary. Loki didn't bother asking where they were heading. He concentrated his whole attention to putting one foot in front of the other without stumbling over and not thinking about the fact that Fury was still running somewhere around these corridors.

Suddenly, Heimdall stopped. Loki, who was walking right behind him, crashed into the gatekeepers back.

"What is it?" Loki whispered, trying to keep his balance. Heimdall didn't react; it seemed that his attention was somewhere out of the corridor.

Then, without warning, he pressed himself against the wall and pulled Loki next to him. Loki tried to protest but Heimdal put his index finger in front of his mouth, signalising to Loki that he should keep quiet. Wisely, Loki did so and within a moment one of the agents emerged from the infirmary. Fortunately, he didn't spare a look in their direction. Hastily, he ran in the opposite way.

"Change of plans." Heimdall announced when the agent was out of earshot. "We are going back."

"What?" Loki protested weakly but Heimdall was already going back and as Loki didn't intend to stay alone, he followed Heimdall. He almost fell down but fortunately, the gatekeeper noticed his distress and put his arm around Loki's waist to give him more balance. Loki nodded his thanks.

Once back inside the infirmary, Heimdall seated Loki on the only white bed inside the room. The exhausted god seemed to be ready to lay down and fall asleep. Yet he stayed seated and gave Heimdall the look that clearly demanded explanation.

"Your brother is here." Heimdal announced and Loki caught his breath. "The agent was running to Fury who is with Thor now. I would bet that when Thor hears that someone kidnapped you, he will demand to be shown this exact place. Fury will follow him and so the best thing for us to do is to wait here for your brother and the keys."

Loki was unsure whether staying in the daunting room was truly the best idea. However, his confidence in Heimdall won and he decided not to complain.

"Maybe you could lay down. It will take a while before they get here."

Loki was determined to stay awake to be ready for the arrival of Thor and Fury. He hated the idea of seeing the Director again. Yet he wasn't really afraid.

Thor was here. Despite being on his beloved Midgard with his friends, he came for Loki. Thor truly did care.

Also, Heimdall was here with him. The same person who once betrayed him despite being sworn to obey him now decided that Loki was worth saving from the SHIELD's dungeons.

It meant the world to Loki.

Being overwhelmed by warmth spreading around his body, Loki found himself lowering on the bed. He laid his head against the soft pillow and hissed when his broken ribs protested against the change of position.

None of the pain mattered now. Yes, Loki was still suffering from his many physical injuries but clearly there were people willing to risk their lives to make sure the pain would stop.

Loki closed his eyes and he immediately felt the sleepiness coming into him. With the last moment of consciousness he thought of something that brought a smile on his face.

 _He was worth saving._

* * *

 **Everytime after finishing a chapter, I feel like writing a long comment about it but usually I decide against it :) Anyway, I think Loki really deserves a 'bit' (read 'the whole Nine Realms') of happiness and especially relief.**

 **By the way, when Thor screamed at Fury "You sick bastard!" I was very much imagining Jonathan Pine yelling at Roper. I just adjusted the language to be less vulgar ;) (I definitely recommend watching the Night Manager)**


	7. Chapter VI - Always

"How much further?" Thor asked impatiently.

"It's just around the corner, sir." If his brother hadn't been tortured and kidnapped, Thor would have found it funny how the SHIELD agent's voice seemed to be an octave higher when answering to him.

Now, however, the God of Thunder wasn't in gaming mood at all. He was blaming himself for allowing Fury to take Loki without much of a fight. Thor should have known what would happen; he remembered only too well how Fury suggested to torture the truth out of Loki when SHIELD got hold of him for the first time.

Too quickly he agreed to Banner's suggestion to let Fury take his brother into custody. Too eagerly he satisfied himself with the idea that Loki would survive a few days with SHIELD. Too cold-heartedly he let his little brother go.

It was Loki's fault that the SHIELD wanted him, of course. Had he not tried to take over Midgard, no one would have borne any grudge against him. Yet even this idea was slowly shattering in Thor's mind, more he was thinking that it may not have been entirely his brother's idea to attack Midgard.

Why didn't he try to talk about this with Loki?

 _Imagined slights?_

Thor wasn't sure anymore that he was justified to call Loki's slights imagined.

If only he could discuss this with mother or Jane, they would know what to do. Both of them were much better at empathy than Thor had ever been. Yet Thor knew that this was not possible anymore and that he would need to come up with the idea how to be a better brother himself.

And it seemed that he would be thrown in at the deep end right now.

"Heimdall?!" The sight of the gatekeeper standing at the entrance to SHIELD's healing chambers caught Thor off guard.

"Thor." Heimdall nodded only.

"Wait what?" Thor shook his head trying to understand the situation. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" But Heimdall didn't get a chance to finish.

"Is Loki with you? Heimdall, tell me that it was you who came for Loki." Thor's tone was hopeful and pleading now, not a usual combination for the Mighty God.

"He's inside." Heimdall said only, stepping aside to let Thor through.

Upon seeing his little brother, Thor didn't spare a glance towards anyone else and hurried towards the bed. When Fury and the agent tried to follow him into the room, Heimdall blocked the way.

"Let us in." Fury demanded authoritatively.

"Try me." Heimdall retorted, putting his sword from one hand to the other. Glancing at the sword, Fury decided that it may be better not to start a war with yet another armed alien from Asgard. He stayed in the corridor outside the infirmary.

Inconspicuously, he pressed a button on his walkie-talkie, calling for reinforcements. Neither Heimdall nor Banner noticed.

…

 _There were sounds around him. Why were there sounds around him? Everything has been so perfectly still until now. No voices, no people, no pain._

 _The affliction of pain._

The agony from all the injuries shot through Loki like a lightning and he immediately opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was…

"Thor?" Loki's voiced was cracked with sleepiness, pain and confusion.

"Yeah, it's me little brother." Thor smiled sadly.

"What are you…" At the moment, Loki truly came to his senses. "Thor! You can't call me little brother, there are people around." Loki said blushing.

"They are standing outside." Loki didn't bother to check if Thor's words were true, knowing that the movement would cost him unnecessary pain.

"And you are my little brother, why couldn't I call you…ah so I can call you that in private?" Thor's eye sparkled with mischief.

"I didn't say that." Loki articulated very clearly. Then he started to cough.

"Brother, are you alright?" Thor asked, not knowing what to do.

"I am fine." Loki managed to get out in between breaths.

"No, you are not. Don't lie to me."

Loki gave Thor a look suggesting that Thor was a five-year-old who didn't understand anything.

"Why would you ask if I am alright if you knew the answer already?" Loki challenged.

Thor opened his mouth to answer but no sound came out.

"Brother, now is not the time for your games. No lies."

"I am the God of Lies."

"You are the God of Mischief. There is a difference."

"If you say so."

Thor sighed. This was reminding him of their childhood exchanges; only those didn't happen on Midgard in hostile facilities with his brother suffering from numerous injuries.

"Brother, if we want this to work, we need to be honest with each other. Can we try that?" Thor looked at Loki seriously. Loki returned the gaze for a few seconds.

"Yes, we can." The trickster answered finally. Finding no traces of insincerity in Loki's answer, Thor breathed out in relief.

"You look terrible, brother." Thor said in order to focus attention on Loki's injuries.

"I've changed my mind. This honesty really doesn't suit you, Thor." Loki retorted immediately.

"Loki…" Thor raised the voice slightly and his eye met a completely innocent look in his brother's brilliant eyes.

"Don't give me those puppy eyes."

"I am not giving you any eyes."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I am not."

"Yes, you are.

"I am not. Auch." Loki tried to raise himself up on the mattress to get into the same height as Thor but in a blink of an eye he was reminded of his injuries. He let his head fall against the cushion and closed his eyes to block the worst agony out.

"Brother, please." Thor said quietly. "Let me help you."

"As long as you want to help me and not _get help_ for me." Loki murmured but his voice lacked the sarcasm. Thor seemed to notice and let Loki's comment go by.

"What pains you?" Thor asked gently, waiting for his brother to open his eyes.

"Pretty much everything. I need my magic to begin healing myself, but those manacles block it out." Loki gave an important look to his wrists which were being stretched in front of him. Finally, Thor seemed to register them. He also noticed the raw skin all around them.

Thor clenched his teeth.

This was more difficult than he would ever expect. Loki looked a mess. He may have tried to hide it behind his jokes, as he'd always do, but it was obvious that his brother was in significant amount of pain. His face was all bloody and bruised, his breathing was hoarse and the scars around his wrists suggested that he tried to get out of the manacles with violence. Thor couldn't let himself ruminate about what Fury was inflicting upon Loki before he had got here. Not now.

"I am sorry I took so long, Loki." Thor had to let the words out of his guilty conscience.

Loki gave him an exhausted look.

"I am glad you decided to come, Thor." Loki answered only, avoiding his brother's gaze.

"Of course. I told you I would come." Surely Loki remembered Thor saying that he would come for him.

 _I know fear when I see it. He was terrified; he wouldn't give me any excuse to punish him further. And as he doesn't seem to believe that you would raise a finger to actually get him out of here, what do you think he would choose? Hm? Telling you how I abused him in hope that you care enough to do something about it? Or keep his mouth shut to make sure the torture wouldn't get worse?_

 _Oh no. Fury was right._

"No." Thor said out loud, ignorant to the energy accumulating inside him. His fingers started to sparkle.

"Thor?" Loki whispered insecurely. He looked his big brother in the eye and saw rage mixed with loathing. A shiver ran down the trickster's spine.

Loki's word seemed to bring Thor back to the moment. He eyed his little brother carefully and noticed his pupils widened with fear. He also saw that Loki seemed to be bringing his bound wrists in front of his face in a defensive movement.

 _Great. Now Loki was also afraid of him._

Loki's moods were chancing so quickly, and he reacted strongly to what seemed to Thor as minor changes very vehemently. Thor remembered mother saying that Loki was a very sensitive and perceptive child. He noticed everything, even what remained hidden to most people.

"Shhh, it's okay brother. I am going to get you out of here." Thor reassured Loki while stopping his arms from moving closer to his face. Loki seemed to lack the strength to fight against Thor, and so he let his arms rest again.

"You are angry." Loki whispered only.

"Yes, but not at you." Thor answered truthfully. Understanding that truth didn't mean only not to lie but also not to hide anything away, he added: "And even if I was angry at you, I would not hit you when you can't defend yourself. You must know that."

To Thor's surprise, Loki seemed to relax and nodded.

"Yes. I know. You didn't hit me on Svartalfheim." Loki whispered.

It took Thor a second to understand what Loki meant but finally, he remembered the incident on the spaceship. Jane was sleeping, Loki provoked him and as usually, Thor decided to end the argument with brute strength. He pushed his brother against the edge of the ship. Loki tried to resist and push him back, but Thor had easily overcome him and pinned him against the ship, ready to strike. He couldn't remember precisely if it was his brother's big scared eyes or the fact that Loki's wrists were bound as they were now what stopped him. Thor was only grateful that he did stop.

"Yes. As in Svartalfheim." He replied only.

"Can you sit up?" Thor added after a moment.

Loki didn't answer but instead tried to push himself up. With his strength diminished and his wrists tied up, he failed miserably.

"Can I help you?" Thor asked. Wisely, he waited for Loki to nod. Then, he gently stretched his arm around his brother's shoulders and holding him tightly, he lifted him into a sitting position. Loki hissed with pain, but he bit his lips before letting any other sounds escape. When he was sitting, Loki swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

The younger god already felt exhausted.

To his surprise, Thor seemed to notice. He sat on the bed next to Loki, his arm still around the trickster's shoulders to make sure that Loki wouldn't lose his balance.

In a moment of weakness, Loki let his head fall against Thor's broad shoulder. Surprised, Thor tensed for a moment. Loki would never seek physical contact with anyone. However, Thor quickly put himself together and with a smile he embraced Loki even tighter and brought him closer. To his further astonishment, the younger god didn't seem to mind. Actually, Loki snuggled closer to his older brother and his warmth.

Neither Thor nor Loki could have remembered the last time they felt so peaceful.

"Little brother?" Thor whispered over Loki's head.

"Yes, Thor?" Loki murmured tiredly.

"We should get you out of those manacles." Thor signed, unwilling to break the embrace.

"I'd never imagine that I could ever say these words, but good idea, Thor." Loki mumbled sleepily. It seemed that the safety and warmth of Thor next to him was making him prone to falling asleep once again. Nothing, though, could ever silence his silver tongue. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Thor was grateful for it.

"I should call for Fury." Thor spoke the words carefully. Loki tensed immediately. Then, he started to move away for Thor.

"What are you doing?" Thor said confused.

"Fury can't see us like this. You are the God of Thunder, the saviour of Midgard. I am the God of Mischief, the saviour of Asgard. We have a reputation to uphold." Loki was stopped from moving away from Thor by his brother's unbreaking hug.

"Fury can go to hell." Thor paused. "Heimdall? Could you let Fury in, please?" Hearing those words, Loki tried to desperately get away from his older brother. Thor's embrace was uncompromising though.

"Bloody hell, Thor. Let go of me." When Thor didn't move at all, Loki tried the last resort. "So you are once again using your strength to make me do what you want. Typical." Loki said. A little bit of emotional blackmailing couldn't hurt.

"No, I am using my strength to get you to do what _you_ want to do." Thor said and Loki was surprised that his witless brother managed to formulate such an idea. "Besides, I am not letting Fury anywhere near you without me being by your side." Thor added resolutely and against his will, Loki gave Thor a little, honest smile.

The brotherly moment was interrupted by heavy footsteps and both gods raised their heads to see the Director standing in front of them. It was obvious from Fury's confused expression that he didn't expect to see the Asgardians sitting in a heart-warming hug and smiling at each other.

"Fury, the keys." Thor said only, no trace of warmth audible in his voice.

"We need to discuss the situation, Thor." Fury kept his voice professional and emotionless.

"Good idea. You are never getting anywhere near my brother and you should be glad that I am not smashing your little institution to the ground right now." With the injured Loki right next to him, Thor would not mince the words.

"Loki needs to answer for his crimes. With the threat of Thanos, I have to use any resources available." Fury stated.

"What?" Loki found himself saying. Thor never heard his brother's voice to be so vulnerable.

"What are you saying, Fury? What threat?" Thor was confused now and Loki's tone scared him.

"I will share my piece of information when your brother kindly shares his." Fury took a step towards the brothers. Involuntarily, Loki flinched. Thor, of course, noticed and clenched his fists.

"I am taking Loki to the Stark Tower. You can come to get your answers there. Now, I would have the keys."

Fury looked pensive for a moment. "I will allow you to take Loki out of here, but you are keeping those manacles on. They are preventing him from using his magic and I need a guarantee that he won't try to unleash the hell on Earth again."

"You should have thought about this before you tortured him. He needs his magic to heal." Thor looked at Fury with as much resolution as he could master. "I will not repeat myself again. The keys."

"There are reinforcements coming as we speak. Soon, this place will be flooded with SHIELD agents. _My_ agents. If I want, I can keep both of you, little princesses, here and not even your sparkles will be able to stop me." Fury threatened.

"Fury." A voice spoke behind the Director who turned around only to see Banner whose face was turning into an unhealthy green colour.

"Let us go." The anger was clear in Banner's voice. Everyone knew that it was only seconds away before he turned into Hulk.

"Okay. Everybody calm down." Fury tried a diplomatic approach. To his relief, Banner's face returned to slightly more natural colour.

"I will let you go but you won't let Loki leave the Stark Tower until the interrogation takes place. Both of you will stay there with the others." Fury said and when he saw Thor nodding, he added: "And one more thing, Thor. If Loki runs away and starts killing people _again_ , you will hunt him down with me." Fury's tone was deadly serious.

"You have my word." Thor answered only.

Not entirely satisfied, Fury reached for the keys and handed them to Thor. Then he diverted his eyes behind the bed on the ground where there was still one of his agents lying unconsciously on the ground.

"Smith!" Fury barked an order. "Take Clark and get him to the other infirmary. Tell others to let them pass." Without another glance at the brothers, Fury left.

Agent Smith hurried inside, clearly nervous to be left alone with three Asgardians and an Avenger who could turn into Hulk at any moment. Quickly, he lifted his colleague up as well as he could and left the infirmary as soon as possible.

When all the hostile forces were gone, Heimdall and Banner moved to stand closer to Thor and Loki. The brothers didn't pay them any attention.

Thor found the right key and gently took Loki's wrists. He put the key into the lock and with a silent click he felt the cuffs open. Softly, he removed the metal from his brother's injured wrists and when it was done, he threw them on the ground.

"All right, brother?" He asked Loki with care. The raven-haired god only nodded. Immediately, he felt his magic returning to him. Despite knowing that it would take a significant amount of time for his injuries to heal, he felt much stronger and less vulnerable with the magic running through his veins once again.

"Let's go." Banner said in a strange voice. Never he saw the Mighty Thor to display so much care and affection for anyone. Slowly, Banner was beginning to understand the depth of the connection that the Asgardian brothers shared.

Thor and Loki both stood up. Loki stumbled but his brother was there to catch him. He put his arm around Loki's waist and without protests, Loki put his own arm around Thor's shoulders. Even though everyone always saw Loki as the smaller brother, their height was more or less the same.

At that moment Fury returned to the infirmary.

"What is it now?" Thor said unable to keep the venom out of his voice.

"I forgot the shackles. They might be of use." Fury replied and went to pick up the manacles. When he was done, he went to stand in front of Loki. The younger god removed his arm from his brother's shoulder but let Thor's arm on his waist to help him balance.

"Anything I can do for you, Director?" Loki said with as much confidence as he could master.

"One step out of line and you are back here, understood?" Fury articulated.

"Fury…" Thor said threating. The Director ignored him.

"I said that I will get the truth out of you and I will. If you even think about betraying us again, you will wish for something…" Fury didn't get a chance to finish the sentence. His vision got blurry from a punch right to his nose. He heard a dull crack and the blood started pouring out of his nostrils.

He thought that he finally must have provoked Thor enough to hit him. However, when his vision cleared, he saw that it wasn't Thor who hit him.

It was Loki.

The God of Mischief was standing in front of the Director with his right fist clenched, ready to strike again. Where the injured god managed to get so much energy for such a blow, Fury didn't know.

"Understood. Anything else, Director?" Loki said coldly and before giving Fury a chance to answer he continued: "No? Excellent. Let's go, brother."

Thor was standing in shock, but Loki's words brought him back. A wide grin appeared on Thor's face. Loki would swear that he saw pride in his brother's remaining eye.

"Yes, let's go." Thor replied only and he and Loki moved past Fury. They went into the corridor and followed the exit signs. They heard that Heimdall and Banner were following them.

"Loki?" Thor said to his little brother whose arm was once again stretched around his shoulders.

"Yes, Thor?"

"Hitting doesn't solve everything."

Despite the circumstances, both brothers laughed.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed some brotherly fluff as much as I did!**

 **I just couldn't resist having Loki punching Fury. I thought it was much better than if Thor did it.**


	8. Chapter VII - Suspense

**Thank you so much to all of you reading this story. Maybe...we could reach one hundred reviews in the next few chapters? ;)**

* * *

Loki swallowed heavily.

"I have already said it once. Do you really think this is a good idea?" Loki gave Thor a questioning look.

"To be honest, brother, I have no clue." Thor answered as he continued smiling.

"What do you find so amusing?" The younger god asked while turning head to face his brother.

The group of two gods and one special Midgardian were standing inside the Stark Tower, right before the entrance to Stark's private living quarters. Heimdall had already left them because he had to return to the Asgardians.

They must have made quite an interesting sight. There was a huge God of Thunder who was supporting the weight of a lean, bloodied figure of a God of Mischief. Loki was pretending that he was holding onto Thor just to be safe while Thor was pretending not to be the only thing keeping Loki from falling on the ground, utterly exhausted. The younger god's strength was slowly returning thanks to his magic being back in his system. However, his injuries were too serious to be healed so quickly and the journey to the Stark Tower didn't help him to rest. Loki being Loki would never admit being exhausted and in pain, but it was obvious both to Thor and Banner that Loki desperately needed to lie down and sleep. Also, he needed his injuries to be given a proper medical attention and the dried blood had to be washed off his body, especially his face.

"Hello? Thor? I asked you a question?" Loki remarked weakly.

"Oh nothing. I just…I am happy that you are back with me. That's all." Thor said and gave Loki a heartening smile. "It will all be alright brother. I promise."

Loki limited his reaction to rolling his eyes. He shifted weight from one feet to another nervously. He hated the idea of being in the Stark Tower, with all the Avengers out of whom the majority wanted him dead. The rest wanted to torture him before seeing him dead.

"Thor?" Loki said in a weak voice. From his tone, Thor understood that his brother was about to say something that was difficult for him to admit loudly. To confirm his words, Loki glanced uneasily at Banner. It was obvious he didn't want the mortal to listen.

"Right. Eh…I am just going to…you know." Banner mumbled. He took out his phone and went to stand a few metres away from the gods. Loki couldn't help himself but to be impressed by the mortal's empathy and understanding. In fact, the perceptive god was lately awed by the occasional-green-monster's behaviour quite often. Not only had Banner stood up for him, he even went to the saving mission with Thor. The trickster was astonished by the mortal's capacity for forgiveness and justice.

"Yes, brother?" Thor asked softly when Banner seemed to be out of earshot.

"Thor…I…this is really not a good idea." Loki said wearily. He was conflicted; unsure whether it was more important for him to keep his confident posture or avoid meeting the Avengers.

"I don't think we have a choice, brother." Thor eyed him seriously. "Fury is…furious." Loki raised his eyebrows but didn't even bother to roll his eyes. "Besides, he mentioned this threat. The best way to deal with it is to join forces." Thor noticed that Loki was staring at the ground.

"Brother, please, look at me." Thor urged. When Loki raised his eyes, the Mighty God continued.

"I promise you that I won't let them touch you. They will not hurt you. I know that you don't have much reason to trust me after what I let happen with Fury, but I need you to have faith in me now." Thor meant every word he said. He hoped that Loki perceived that.

"Alright, Thor." Loki mumbled only.

"Do you trust me, Loki?" Thor asked, unsure whether he was asking his brother or ruminating about the question himself.

"And you?" Loki replied weakly.

"Do you remember what I told you when you appeared in the spaceship?" Thor queried his brother who had confusion in his eyes. "You came there and I…I didn't believe you were really there. But you were. And then we…hugged. And I told you that…"

"That you trust me. You said you trusted me." Loki interrupted as the realization dawned on him.

"Yes. I meant it with my heart." Thor smiled sadly. "Do you think you can say the same?"

Loki started to open his mouth, but Thor spoke before Loki managed to utter a sound.

"But I don't want you to say it just because you know that I want to hear it, brother. I…I can wait. I just hope that one day you will be able to say it and mean it. Until then, I promise you that I will protect you, even if it means fighting my friends."

Loki contemplated Thor's words and after a while he nodded slightly.

"You need to rest, brother. Can we go inside?" Thor asked.

Once again, Loki only nodded in agreement.

"Banner?" Thor called for his friend.

"Yes, Thor? Should I ring the bell?" Bruce was back in the blink of an eye.

"Yes."

There was no sound coming out of the bell, but Loki imagined the ringing sound echoing through the Stark's chambers. He remembered the place – was it a living room? – which was decorated by holes in the floor in his shape.

Suddenly, the doors clicked open and a mechanical voice spoke from somewhere above them.

"Please, come in."

…

"What do we know?" Fury addressed his team seated around the long table. He was sitting at its head.

"Thanos was following the Asgardians. It seems that when he understood their destination to be the Earth, he let them slip under his fingers." One of the agents spoke clearly.

"So," Fury contemplated loudly, "it appears that he wants the Earth. Or something on it."

"It is possible, sir."

"Possible. Possible means that we have nothing. Nothing." Fury smashed his fists against the table. There was dead silence in the room.

"Sir, you still haven't properly interrogated Loki. You were confident that he knew something that might be of use."

Fury lifted his gaze.

"Yes, that is true. I am sure Loki was cooperating with Thanos when he attacked us. I am convinced that it was not an equal partnership. Nevertheless, he must know something about Thanos that we don't. Some of his strategies. We must make him speak." Fury hissed, still bitter about letting the God of Mischief slip underneath his fingers.

"Sir?" An agent asked hesitantly. "If Loki was indeed working for Thanos, then he failed him."

"Your point, Gibson?" Fury barked.

"From the little we know, Thanos is…insane. Shouldn't it be in Loki's best interest to make sure that Thanos doesn't conquer the planet he is on as well? I mean…Thanos would surely punish him if he got hold of him."

Fury seemed to think about Gibson's words for a while. Finally, he answered.

"Unless Loki has been working for Thanos for the entire time."

* * *

 **The next chapter will be quite action-filled. I am sure you can guess why :)**


	9. Chapter VIII - Bone of Contention

The door opened. Loki strengthened his back and peeked inside with fake confidence. He breathed in relief when he observed the corridor to be empty.

"Maybe I should go first." Banner suggested wisely as he squeezed around the brothers.

"I mean…they know we went for Loki. It shouldn't be that much of a surprise that we came back with him, should it?" Thor said with hope.

"Well…yes. That doesn't mean they will be welcoming." Banner murmured and continued inside.

Thor began moving too and since Loki was still holding onto him, he was forced inside as well. Once they stepped over the threshold, the door shut behind them.

 _Fantastic_.

They continued in silence and Loki noticed that he was beginning to tremble. He tried to control it so that Thor wouldn't notice.

However, Thor in his reformed post-Jane state did, of course, picked up on it.

"This is the main corridor leading to a living room and kitchen. They are connected. There is also a bar. On the same floor, there are rooms for all of us. Mine is behind the third door on the right. You can stay with me. The rooms are huge and there should be everything you could possibly need. If you take the lift, you get to different floors where a gym, swimming pool and additional socialising spaces can be found."

Loki knew that Thor was only blabbing to divert his attention, but he was still grateful to have his mind distracted. He was trying not to focus too much on the daunting corridor. Loki knew that it was nothing like the one in SHIELD's facility, but he couldn't help himself but to feel a similar sensation of walking right into the lion's mouth.

Finally, the group reached the corner leading, as Thor had suggested earlier, to the living spaces.

"Hello! We're back!" Banner shouted in too cheerful and over-enthusiastic tone. Loki would roll his eyes if he wasn't terrified to death.

 _They were all there._

 _Right behind the corner, the bunch of his mortal enemies were all waiting for him._

 _While he was leaning onto his brother for support for walking._

"It'll be alright, brother." Loki heard Thor whispering as they passed around the corner.

Spacious living chambers appeared in front of the Asgardian brothers. Loki gratefully noticed that this was not the living room which he had unwillingly decorated. Before he managed to take in any other details, he was hit by an unexpected and strong affliction of agony in his left shoulder.

Loki cried out in surprise and would have fallen on the ground if Thor wasn't still holding onto him.

Both Thor and Banner turned their heads to see that an arrow was dug deep in Loki's shoulder. The blood was pouring out of the injury and was colouring the dirty armour that the god was still wearing.

The arriving group was in shock. Bruce and Thor didn't manage to make sense of the situation and Loki was seeing stars.

"Stark, now." A cold voice stated authoritatively.

At that moment, Loki heard an explosion and he felt his brother being torn away from him. Dizzily, Loki understood that Thor was being smashed to the wall behind him by the Iron Man's blow. The panicking god caught sight of Banner taking a step towards him, but he was abruptly stopped by Agent Romanoff.

"Bruce. Stay out of this." Loki heard her calculated voice.

Banner ceased moving.

Unable to support the weight of his body any longer, Loki slipped on his knees. He raised his right hand and as in a dream he brought the palm to his left shoulder. Immediately, the white skin of his fingers was coloured in red. A sharp affliction of pain ran from his shoulder to the entirety of his body. A dizziness overcame Loki once again and he didn't even spot a hostile figure that was approaching him.

"Stark. Secure Thor." The voice spoke again. Barton. It was Barton.

Stark didn't waste time and Loki was blurredly aware of him passing by his kneeling form. He heard the Iron Man pausing a few steps behind him. Loki imagined that he was located there to prevent Thor coming to his rescue.

Before he could process the implications of both Thor and Banner being incapacitated, Loki felt strong arms pulling him up. His head got even more dizzy, but his senses came back when he was roughly shoved against the wall. Barton was holding him under the neck. It was uncomfortably tight, and Loki was finding it difficult to breathe. His feet were still touching the ground though and silently, Loki thanked his tall figure.

"Barton! Stop!" Loki tried to turn his head around a bit and saw Thor who was struggling against the Iron Man.

"Shut up, Thor." Barton hissed only and tightened the grip on Loki's neck. Slowly, Loki was beginning to suffocate and automatically, he tried to fight back. He lifted his arms, which were helplessly hanging by his sides until now, and he tried to push Barton back. His left arm didn't cooperate at all and the only thing that Loki accomplished was more blood coming out of the cut caused by the arrow. His right arm tried to push Barton away, but it was futile in Loki's weakened state.

Loki started to panic. He couldn't even try to conjure an illusion as it would be useless now and anyway, Loki doubted he would be able to do so in his current state. Before his mind was completely overcame by panic, a ray of lightening ripped through Loki's mind.

Before Loki knew it, a dagger materialised in his right hand. Without thinking, Loki dug the dagger with all his remaining strength into Barton's ribcage.

Barton's expression turned into one of a complete and unexpected astonishment. Slowly, he released Loki's neck and stumbled two steps back. Incredulously, he brought his gaze upon the dagger that was dug deep in his flesh. He tried to bring his hands towards it but before he managed to do, he collapsed on the ground.

"Clint!" Romanoff screamed and ran towards Barton. She sank on her knees right next to his bleeding form.

Loki's brain was absorbing the picture in front of him disbelievingly. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. At one moment, Loki was walking next to Thor. Within a second, Loki was shot, Thor blown away, Loki pinned to the wall and suffocating. Within another minute, Loki stabbed Barton who collapsed on the ground.

Loki breathed in heavily when Barton's hand released his neck. He also found himself sinking onto ground, his right palm pressed onto the bruised spot on his neck. The dagger fell out of his hand.

 _He stabbed Barton._

 _They were certainly going to kill him now._

 _He must fight back._

Loki raised his eyes, ready to meet his destiny. What he saw was a bizarre picture.

Romanoff was pressing onto Barton's cut and uttering words that Loki was unable to comprehend. Banner was staring in shock at the events unfolding in front of him. Stark was still holding Thor in place who ceased to fight back. Everybody was frozen in place.

"Thor?" Loki whispered startled. He didn't know why he did it. Maybe it was an instinct to call for his big brother in the time of need.

Loki's plea seemed to snap Thor back into presence. The God of Thunder threw the unresponsive Iron Man out of the way. In an instant, Thor was right next to his brother. Without thinking, Thor lifted Loki from the ground and brought him close to his chest. Loki didn't protest.

Thor's movement, however, awakened the rest of the Avengers.

"He killed Clint." Iron Man's voice echoed throughout the living room.

"He's not dead. He will be alright. He must be." Romanoff's insecure response filled the air. She looked Loki straight into his eyes. "I will kill you for this."

"Get Barton into hospital. Now!" Banner was able to keep his rational thinking. He took out his phone and dialled an ambulance.

"Clint attacked him! Loki wasn't thinking!" Thor tried to defend his little brother who was slowly losing consciousness in his arms. The flood of blood coming out of his shoulder was not slowing down.

"Thor…don't…" Loki tried to say but Thor quietened him.

"Don't try to speak, brother." He said only.

"Thor." Romanoff stood up when Banner took her place next to Clint. "Choose a side. Now. If you don't step away from him, I promise you nothing."

"We are friends." Thor spoke with confidence.

"We are. If you move away from him." Stark added.

"You know I can't do that." Thor retorted immediately.

"Why not?" Romanoff countered.

"He is my brother. I can't let you hurt him." Thor replied with growing desperation.

"What do you imagine we were going to do to him?" Romanoff said. "We were going to secure him and then lock him up. Fury was to come to interrogate him. Nothing more. But he attacked Clint."

"Clint attacked him! He shot him! You even attacked me!" Thor screamed staring at Stark.

Stark looked penitent. "We knew you would not agree with our plan. But it was for the best. Loki is a murderer, Thor. Your love is blinding you."

"I am not letting you hurt him further." Thor announced resolutely.

"I don't think you have a choice." Romanoff replied as she took a step towards Thor. The God of Thunder, who was still holding the fainting Loki in his arms, took a step back.

The situation seemed hopeless.

"Enough." A clear, articulated voice echoed throughout the living room. The voice that spoke was perfectly calm but resonated with authority and confidence.

Loki knew the voice.

"Strange?" Stark asked in astonishment.

"You all need to calm down." Doctor Strange spoke as if he didn't just magically apparated inside the room.

"You are not thinking. You are letting your emotions cloud your judgement." Strange spoke as if he was lecturing a group of students.

"Stark. Take Barton to the hospital. Now." Strange turned his attention to Thor.

"Thor. Take Loki to your room. Lock the door."

Thor didn't wait to hear anymore or see if someone would try to stop him. He turned on his heels and hurried along the corridor. He pushed the door handle down and then leaned against the door with his back.

Finally inside his room, Thor hurried towards the bed. Gently, he laid Loki down on the blanket. Immediately, the Mighty God jumped back to the door and pushed them close. He locked the door up.

"Jarvis?" Thor called through the air.

"Yes, master Thor?" A mechanical voice replied.

"Don't let anyone unlock the door. I need privacy. Understood?" Thor spilled out, wandering where the rationality was coming from.

"Understood, master Thor."

Satisfied with the response, Thor walked back to the bed. Loki was still on his back with his arms loosely by his side, in the exactly same position as Thor left him. His eyes were closed.

"Brother? Can you hear me?" Thor asked with concern.

"Yes." Loki whispered.

"Can you open your eyes?" Thor added, worried that his brother might lose consciousness.

Loki opened his beautiful eyes which were filled with tears.

"I don't know what happened, brother. I didn't want to stab him. Is he…is he dead?" Loki whispered in a trembling voice.

"No. I mean I don't know. They were taking him to the hospital." Thor mumbled quickly, avoiding Loki's stare.

"I am sorry, Thor." Loki articulated as clearly as he could. Desperately, he needed Thor to trust him. Not because it could save his neck. Loki simply needed Thor to know that he didn't intentionally harm his friend.

Thor lifted his eyes to meet his little brother's and his gaze softened immediately.

"I know, Loki. I know. It was not your fault. He attacked you." Thor tried to reassure the younger god.

Loki tried to lift himself up but gave up with the abrupt burn shooting from his shoulder. Involuntarily, Loki cried out in pain.

"I'll take care of it, brother." Thor said and quickly went across the room. Loki had no idea where he was going but he had no energy to ask Thor. To Loki's relief, Thor was back within a moment. He was carrying a white box.

"The Midgardians keep their healing equipment in these boxes." Thor explained when he saw Loki staring at the box in confusion. Then Loki glanced back at Thor with the mix of worry and amusement.

"Yes, brother." Thor answered Loki's unspoken question. "I know I have never excelled in the healing art. But I will do my best."

Loki wanted to retort something witty but changed his mind when it dawned on him that his brother might be the only person on this entire planet, other than maybe a few Asgardians who were far away, willing to tend to his wounds.

"Alright, brother. Let's get it over with." Loki said, pretending not to be worried about the idea of Thor's _gentle_ hands pulling the arrow out of his shoulder.

Thor put the white box on the bed and focused on Loki. After a second, Thor reached out and took all the pillows and rested them against the wall. Then he went to Loki who eyed him with suspicion. Loki knew what Thor was about to do and he opened his mouth to protest. Remembering that Thor had actually brought him to this room in his arms, Loki changed his mind and simply let his brother slip his arm underneath his shoulders. Gently, Thor lifted Loki up and moved him so that Loki was half-seated and half-lying against the pillows.

The arrow in Loki's shoulders hurt terribly but Loki bit his lips not to make a sound.

"Comfortable, brother?" Thor asked seriously.

"Never better." Loki murmured in reply.

Satisfied, Thor opened the box and stared at the healing equipment.

"You have no idea what to do with it, do you?" Loki made an observation when nothing happened.

"How hard could it be." Thor mumbled to himself and took out a random white bandage.

"How hard could it be?" Loki's voice seemed to be an octave higher. The idea of his brother using some Midgardian junk to get the arrow out was giving him enough energy to argue. "This is not some idiotic spaceship, Thor. This is my shoulder. And I would very much like to keep using it."

"It is not only your shoulder." Thor replied, pretending not to notice Loki's distress hidden in irony. "I spoke with Heimdall upon our way here. Your ribs are broken. And you have bruises all around you."

"It is clear then." Loki articulated. "I am definitely going to die."

"Shut up, Loki." Thor said, sounding slightly irritated.

He took a few steps to stand right above Loki and then, unsure what to do next, he sat on the edge of the bed right next to his little brother.

"Alright, little brother. Let's do this." Thor said to give courage to both of them.

"I told you not to call me that. Not even in….au!" Loki didn't manage to finish the sentence as in that moment, Thor touched the arrow. It seemed to Loki that the arrow dug even deeper into his flesh and his vision got all blurry.

Seeing the distress and pain in Loki's expression, Thor immediately pulled the hand back.

"I am so sorry, brother." Thor mumbled sincerely.

"No, it's alright, Thor. Go no." Loki hissed in between clenched teeth.

"You know, maybe it should be cleaned first." Thor contemplated loudly.

"Cleaned?" Loki only repeated, having no energy to argue further.

"Yes. I remember mother bringing me to the healers to watch them work once. They cleaned the patient first, so no infection could spread."

Loki smiled at the mention of Frigga.

"I bet you ran away before you could learn anything useful." He whispered.

Thor eyed Loki with amusement. "Well, Sif was training outside…"

"Yes, I got it, brother." Loki replied. "But I am definitely not moving to the bathroom so let's skip the cleaning part. I can use my magic to take care of the little imperfections left after your glorious healing attempt later."

"I can take you there and help you bath:" Thor challenged but ceased speaking as soon as he saw Loki's expression.

"You are certainly not helping me to bath." Loki' tone was somewhere in between a stubborn child and an authoritative king.

"We used to bath together when we were children. It is not a big deal."

"When we were children, Thor."

When Thor seemed unconvinced, Loki continued. "Thor, I swear that if you try to take me to the bathroom, I will use the remainder of my magic and strength to turn you into a raven."

"Raven?" Why raven?" Thor smiled.

"Shut up, Thor."

"Okay. No bath until you're better. I need to get that arrow out, though." Thor looked sad while saying that.

"I know, Thor. Just pull it out quickly and then try to stop the blood." Loki instructed.

"Brother?" Thor asked insecure. "Do you have enough energy to make your armour disappear? It would help with the bandaging."

Loki nodded and focused. After a few moments, his armour vanished, and he was sitting on the bed only in his simple dark green tunic and black trousers.

"Do it, brother." Loki said and closed his eyes.

For a while nothing happened. All Loki could hear was the beating of his own heart which was beating frantically quickly. Then, out of nothing, an agonising pain ran through his shoulder. Loki screamed his lungs out and then everything went black.

…

"Brother? Can you hear me? Brother, please. Wake up."

…

Loki could hear someone calling for him at the end of his mind. He felt fine. Everything was black but somehow, he felt alright.

"Loki? Darling?" Loki heard a familiar voice.

 _No. This was not possible._

"Mother?" He whispered weakly and opened his eyes.

She was there. Beautiful, dignified and elegant as always. She hasn't changed at all since Loki saw her for the last time.

"Mother? Is that you?" Loki asked with a childlike hope in his voice.

"Yes, it is me. You need to open your eyes, Loki." Frigga said with eternal patience.

"Haven't I opened them already?" Loki was genuinely confused.

"No, you haven't." The realisation dawned on Loki.

"If I open them, you will disappear. Won't you?" Loki questioned, suddenly feeling like a child again.

"Yes, my son. But it is alright. Your brother will be there. He is waiting for you to wake up. He is worried."

"Is he?" Loki found himself uttering against his will.

"You know he is. Thor loves you, darling. You must know that." Frigga said in an earnest but gentle tone.

"Yes, I know." Loki admitted finally and he felt a heavy burden falling off his chest. Frigga was beginning to disappear.

"Mother, please. Wait." Loki said, desperate to stop Frigga from leaving him once again.

"Don't leave me again."

"I will never leave you, my son." Frigga said and Loki understood that she was right.

"Mother, I am sorry. For what I told you. You have always been my mother. I have always considered you my mother." Loki whispered, desperate to say the sentence he's been longing to say for years.

"Don't worry, darling. I know that. You could never deceive me." Frigga smiled softly.

"Be strong, my son. Be happy."

As Frigga disappeared, Loki slowly opened his eyes.

…

"Brother? Loki?" Loki heard Thor's panicked voice and had to smile in his mind.

"I see you missed me." Loki whispered weakly.

"Loki. I was so worried." Thor breathed out in relief.

As Loki's mind and vision were clearing out, he turned his head towards his shoulder. The arrow was gone and all he could see were a lot of white bandages all around his shoulder. It hurt but the pain was bearable.

"Good job, Thor." Loki said and smiled at his brother. Thor returned the expression with proud grin.

"Thor?" Loki said insecure whether he should continue or not.

"What's on your mind, Loki?"

"I saw mother." Loki whispered while looking down onto his lap.

"You saw mother?" Thor asked confused.

"She was right here. She was beautiful as always. She told me to open my eyes. And she…"

"What else did she say, little brother?"

"She said you loved me." Loki uttered barely audibly.

"Mother has always been wise." Thor smiled sadly.

"Thor? Do you think it was real? Or did I just make it up in my mind?" Loki looked up at Thor and the God of Thunder felt like a child again, talking to his younger brother in the middle of the night after he had a bad dream.

"I don't know, Loki. But you know mother. I am sure she could conjure herself like that."

"I think so too." Loki smiled at Thor. Then he groaned. "Ah. So much sentiment. Saving all the people on Asgard and becoming the Asgardian hero and look at me."

"Yes, brother. Very modest." Thor replied only and Loki smiled.

"Don't get used to this, Thor. Most likely, I have a fever." Loki warned but his voice lacked any malice.

"Whatever you say, brother. Are you strong enough for me to take care of the rest of the injuries?" Thor asked.

Loki nodded but after a second he glanced at the door.

"Are you sure they can't come in?" He said, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.

"Certain. Stark told me the key the first time I stayed in. He said that if I truly needed to keep everyone out of my room, I would have to tell Jarvis that I wanted privacy. It then becomes his most important protocol. So even if Stark or whoever else told him to open the door, he wouldn't. I think that Stark had different things in mind than keeping _you_ here, but that is irrelevant." Thor explained.

"Alright. Let's finish this then." Loki answered.

Thor pulled up Loki's tunic to reveal a bruised chest. Thor clenched his teeth when he saw the full damage of Fury's 'interrogation'.

"Do I look that bad?" Loki asked seeing Thor's expression.

"No. Well I mean yes. Anyway, Fury would look much worse if I saw this earlier." Thor spoke with a threat.

Loki only sighed and waited for Thor to take out another bandage. He let his brother apply some Midgardian healing ointment in which he had no confidence, and which made him shiver when it touched his skin. He flinched when Thor tried to apply the treatment for the first time, but it was more because of the coldness rather than the pain. Thor gave him a brotherly smile and continued applying the healing salve onto his skin. Unwilling, Loki had to admit that the puny Midgardian medicaments might have had a cooling effect on his damaged ribcage.

When the ointment was spread, Thor reached for the bandage and thoroughly bandaged Loki's chest. This did indeed make the trickster feel better as all the bones seemed to be finally in the right place and were unable to move.

"I think the worst is done." Thor said cheerful.

Loki wasn't sure he shared his brother's enthusiasm. He was deadly exhausted; his body was slowly stabilising but that didn't take the pain from all the moving and bandaging away. Nevertheless, he smiled at Thor and as a reward he saw Thor's grin widening.

"Let me just take a look on the scar on your cheek. We can leave the minor bruises for later. I think you could use some rest."

Grateful, Loki nodded. He saw Thor taking out a little bottle with liquid inside it. Thor unscrewed the lid and poured the liquid on a cotton bud. Then he brought the disinfectant onto Loki's welt on his right cheek.

Loki hissed and winced when the disinfectant touched his cheek. Thor laughed.

"Does it sting, little brother?" He provoked Loki. The concerned glared back at him.

"Yes, it stings, witless brother." He retorted, knowing that this was not the best of his jokes. Thor only laughed again.

"I think it is done." Thor announced when the scar on Loki's cheek was cleansed. Loki breathed out in relief.

Without warning, Thor reached out and lifted Loki out of the bed. Caught off guard, Loki automatically pulled his right arm around Thor's neck for balance.

Meanwhile, Thor pulled away the blanket and returned the pillows to their original position. Then, he gently put Loki back into the bed and covered him with the blanket up to his chin.

"Goodnight, brother." Thor said and took a step to move somewhere further to the room.

"Where are you going?" Loki asked in a weak voice. Finally rid of the worst pain and lying comfortably in the bed, Loki's eyelids were quickly closing.

"I will try to sleep on the coach and devise a plan of how to repair this mess." Thor smiled and turned back. But Loki's whisper made him stop again.

"I don't want to be the bone of contention between you and your friends, Thor." Loki mumbled looking at the blanket.

"You're not." Thor said. When his words had no effect, he went to sit on the edge of the bed next to his brother.

"Loki, look at me. You're not. All this was one big misunderstanding. The emotions were running high. Everyone was nervous. Barton will surely be alright and then we will talk with the rest of the team as civilised beings." Thor winked at Loki who still seemed unconvinced.

"Your only job now is to sleep and to get better. Can you do that?" Thor was once again reminded of their childhood. After training, Loki would often get injured and Thor would be in his chambers by his side, reassuring him that sooner or later, Loki will be strong enough to fight the other warriors without injuring himself.

"Yes." Loki replied sleepily.

With a heartening smile, Thor stood up again. He walked around the bed and disappeared from Loki's visual field.

"Thor?"

"Yes, Loki? I am right over here."

"Why don't you use the bed? It's big enough for both of us." Loki's tone was practical, but Thor smiled to himself.

"That's a good idea, brother. But I thought you would mind." Thor answered seriously.

"No, not really." Loki mumbled.

Before he knew it, Loki felt the other side of the bed bending. He turned his head to see his brother lying on his back and pulling the blanket over himself.

"Goodnight, Loki."

"Goodnight, Thor."

* * *

 **I really like the Avengers...I really like Hawkeye. But somehow, I don't have the heart to make Thor angry at Loki and we need some plot ;)**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading and let's see in the next chapters how the situation unfolds.**


	10. Chapter IX - Right vs Easy

"Is everything under control?" A cold, masculine voice resounded from a phone.

"Yes. He is with Thor in his room." Stark answered.

"Any complications?"

 _Pause._

"No. Everything is fine." Tony's voice didn't tremble at all.

"Alright. Keep me informed." Promptly, Fury ended the conversation.

Tony sighed. The truth was that nothing was under control. In fact, the whole situation turned out to be quite a disaster.

Their plan to constrain Loki and put him to some provisional cell failed completely when the trickster panicked and stabbed Clint. Tony knew that they shouldn't have forgotten about Loki's ability to conjure daggers out of nothing. The truth was that the team was mostly preoccupied with Thor. They all witnessed their friend's unwillingness to give his brother up when their spaceship landed on Earth. Later, Stark received a call from Fury in which the Director complained about Thor's ignorance towards the safety on their planet.

None of the Avengers wanted to hurt Thor. However, they did not trust Loki at all. They were sure the trickster would betray them at the first opportunity and they were not willing to risk their lives because Thor and Banner mentioned that Loki changed.

And so they set the trap. They waited in the living room for the group to arrive. Then, they seized the surprise to separate the brothers from each other.

But soon everything went out of control.

Tony put his head into his hands.

Fortunately, Clint was going to be alright. He talked with Natasha who stayed with him in the hospital and the archer was already stabilised.

What haunted Tony in his mind was Loki's scared expression when Thor was torn away from him and Barton smashed him into the wall.

"Stop." Tony told himself loudly and drank a cup of coffee. It was black coffee without sugar or milk and it made Tony's face grimace. He was grateful for it because at least for a second, he was able to stop thinking.

The pensive man looked out of the huge windows of his living room. It was very early in the morning and he imagined the city underneath him slowly coming back to life. The pavements would soon be flooded by pedestrians hurrying to work and the roads will be full of impatient drivers. The skies were grey and Tony imagined dark clouds lurking nearby. It may rain in the afternoon.

Tony exhalled. He didn't sleep much last night. When Clint was safely in the hospital with Natasha, Tony immediately returned to the tower. He found Banner brooding in the kitchen. Tony didn't know how to start a conversation with him after what had happened and the doctor didn't seem keen on conversing either. After checking with Jarvis that Steve was getting the frustration out of his system in the gym, Tony decided to go to the bed.

He paused in front of Thor's room. Some of his instincts were telling him to knock on the door to check on the brothers but his survival instincts were telling him otherwise. Not knowing what to do, Tony remembered what Pepper had told him once.

Morning is wiser than evening.

As it was often the case, Tony decided to listen to his lover's advice and without further delay he headed towards his bedroom. After collapsing on the bed and understanding that sleeping was out of question, he reached for sleeping pills.

He could still feel the effect of the pills while sipping his coffee in the dreary morning. Tony made a mental note to try meditation next time.

The sleepy head was interrupted by Steve and Banner coming into the room.

"Morning." Tony murmured, slightly annoyed for having his morning disturbed.

"Good morning, Tony." Steve answered. Both he and Banner headed straight for the coffee machine.

Something was telling Tony that they haven't slept much better than he has.

With coffee cups in between their hands, the trio was seated around the table.

"We need to talk." It was Steve to begin the conversation that all of them knew was coming

Steve's brave attempt was followed by an awkward silence.

"We royally screwed this up." Tony said finally, resting the cup of coffee on the table and running a hand through his hair.

"Whose idea was it to shoot him?" Banner reacted.

Steve had enough decency to look guilty when answering.

"Well…Clint's, I guess." Steve said unsure, but Tony nodded in agreement. "Look, Bruce. We had to ensure that he wouldn't fight back! You know Loki. That guy is strong and durable. We couldn't risk…"

"Oh, for god's sake!" Bruce interrupted. "Have you seen him? Hm? Loki couldn't even walk without leaning onto Thor. Do you have any idea what Fury did to him?" Bruce incredulously paused for a second. "Do you know what Fury did to him?"

"No, Bruce! Of course not." Tony answered with a hint of irritation in his voice.

"He tortured him." Bruce saw Steve opening his mouth to say something, but he continued nevertheless. "I don't know what he did to him but from what I saw, he must have been beating the hell out of him. For quite some time. If he wasn't a god, I am not sure he'd still be alive. Being a god doesn't make it any less painful though."

Another silence followed. This time it wasn't an awkward silence but more of a ruminative one. Everyone was lost in his own thoughts.

Tony suspected this. In the brief moment when he managed to catch a sight of Loki, he saw the bruises and noticed the hoarse breathing. Nothing ever justified torture. It was Tony's solemn conviction.

"Look." Bruce continued after all the implications of his previous statements sank in. "When I first saw him, he was tied to a chair. It took some self-control not to jump and strangle him on the spot. But since then…guys you have no idea what it was like. We were in Asgard and it was all in flames. She was unstoppable. If it wasn't for Loki, we would all die there. He came with that spaceship for us. He didn't have to do it. He knew how dangerous it was for him to come back to Asgard but he did it anyway. He could have just gone anywhere but he didn't. He came for us."

Bruce sipped his coffee and continued.

"I have never seen Thor so attentive to anyone. You know what he's like. His heart is in the right place, but he can be impulsive. But since Loki came back…it seems as if something just fell back to place for Thor. He is much stronger and yet when talking to Loki he is…tender. You cannot question what Loki means to him. If we try to separate them, I am sure we will lose Thor forever."

Bruce wasn't sure whether to continue or not. In the end, he decided to do so.

"We don't know what exactly triggered Loki's mind to snap the last time he was here, but I am pretty sure it had something to do with self-loathing and loneliness. If something like that happens again, we all know who to blame."

"Look, Bruce." Tony looked at Banner seriously. "I had no idea about the torture. You know that I would never support such an idea." Tony continued after Banner nodded. "But this is still Loki. I agree that we owe Thor an apology, but we can't have the God of Mischief running around the tower. You said it yourself – he can snap again. And if he does, what will happen? He may kill half of the city."

"Let's do this." Steve was quiet for a long time and so his friends knew he was about to say something thoughtful.

"You are both right. Yes, Bruce, Loki obviously isn't the same mad lunatic if he came by his own will to save you on Asgard. Yes, Tony, we can't let him go unsupervised around the town in case the lunatic kicks back in. But I believe that we can all agree on one thing. We are not torturing, not even mentally, especially not mentally, a person who doesn't seem to be in a position to fight back. Are we on the same side?"

"Yes." Tony and Bruce said simultaneously.

"Great. So let's do this. We leave Thor and Loki alone for how long they need. Then we will apologise to Thor and promise him not to harm his brother as long as he doesn't try to harm us. We will hope that Thor accepts our apology. Concerning Loki, I think our attitude towards him when he heals should be based on the interrogation that Fury intends to lead. The interrogation will happen here. We all deserve answers, but no one is torturing anyone. Do we have a deal?"

"What about Barton and Romanoff?" Tony challenged.

"They are going to be difficult but for now Clint is in the hospital and Romanoff is staying with him. As for Loki, I really don't think we can hold this against him. The guy was scared to death, he just automatically defended himself."

"Steve? Tony?" Banner asked suddenly. "Did you actually know that Barton was going to shoot Loki in a shoulder?"

"He was to constrict him. We let it up to him how." Tony murmured only.

Banner smiled, obviously relieved.

"Okay, Steve. We have a deal. We declare truce and give Loki a chance to explain himself. If he misuses our trust, he may be in for round two of smashing."

"Bruce?" Tony called after the doctor who began to stand up to leave.

"You really have confidence in him, don't you?"

"Strangely enough, I do."

"Speaking of Strange…where did he go?" Steve asked.

"No idea. He just disappeared in the chaos." Tony answered. "Who knows. Maybe he'll apparate here again."

…

When Thor woke up, he was a little confused. It took him a second to adjust to the simple facts.

 _Asgard was destroyed._

 _He was on Midgard in the Stark Tower._

 _Loki…_

 _Loki._

Thor, who was lying on his back, turned his head to see dishevelled, black hair pressing onto his flank. Thor smiled because somewhere under the layer of slightly wavy hair, there was his brother who has either consciously or unconsciously snuggled closer to him. Thor didn't know what would be better. Whether having Loki consciously choosing and being comfortable with lying so close to him or the idea that Loki's instinct would be telling him to get closer to Thor for protection in the new, hostile environment. Either way, Thor felt like a child again – worriless, peaceful and comfortable. For a second, Thor let these feelings fill him up. In a way, he felt more home in this moment than he had in a very long time.

Thor tried to observe if Loki's injuries were healing properly but he didn't want to wake him up. Loki's body was covered by blanket up to his neck and his face was covered by his messy hair. Thor was amused imagining Loki's reaction to letting anyone seeing his hair so dishevelled. He knew his brother tried to keep his hairstyle dignified and tip-top.

The only visible part of Loki's body was his arm which was stretched across Thor's abdomen. Loki's body was lightly moving up and down following the pattern of trickster's regular breathing. Satisfied that his little brother seemed to be sleeping peacefully, Thor gently brought his hand on Loki's shoulder. He was very careful to avoid the area injured by the arrow.

Loki mumbled something inaudible and tried diving his face deeper into his brother's side. For some reason, it reminded Thor of a cat. A little, mischievous creature whose love and trust you had to win; but if you did it would embrace you with undying affection.

Almost immediately, Loki was fully asleep again. This time having his brother's big arm protectively around his shoulder, Loki was safely back in the land of dreams.

Knowing that his brother was fine and right next to him, Thor drifted back into peaceful slumber. He could focus on the rest of the world a bit later.

* * *

 **I just couldn't have a chapter without Loki, could I? ;)**

 **Anyway, we can look forward to some more civil interaction between the Avengers and Loki. And who knows - maybe Strange will decide to pop in as well.**


	11. Chapter X - No-win, No-loss

_Cough._

Loki stirred. There was something warm underneath his arm. Instinctively, Loki snuggled closer to it, burying his face into the pleasant mass.

He felt so safe.

 _Cough._

That sound again. Loki made an annoyed noise. He was half-awake now but his subconsciousness was telling him to go out like a light.

 _Cough._

The sound was getting louder and without opening his eyes, Loki realised that someone was coughing in the room. Slowly coming to his senses, Loki remembered the situation he found himself in.

To his horror, it dawned on him that his brother was still fast asleep. If it wasn't Thor coughing, someone must have been in their room.

Determined not to let the stranger know that he was awake and aware of his presence, Loki kept his eyes shut and tried to steady his breathing.

He must wake Thor up.

With his eyes still tightly closed, Loki tried to inconspicuously move his arm to try to move his hand up to Thor's neck to alert him by pinching him.

"I know you are awake." A deep, confident voice spoke.

Loki froze in his movements. He considered his possibilities. His body felt tense and heavy; Thor did surprisingly good job at tending to his injuries and his magic was doing wonders, but he still felt quite weak. His best shot was probably trying to wake Thor up as quickly as possible and hope that his brother would not be his usual self who took ages to actually put himself to a usable state.

"I need to speak to both of you. So you may consider carrying out your plan to wake Thor up." The voice said. His elegant tone was intertwined with a hint of smug and amusement. Loki knew the voice. Surprised, he opened his emerald eyes. It took a moment for his sleepy pupils to adjust to the light in the room and focus on the person standing in front of the bed.

"Strange." Loki muttered.

In front of the bed, there was the second-rate sorcerer himself. The God of Mischief noticed that the Doctor looked all pompous in his extravagant outfit. His expression was half-amused and half-serious. Loki couldn't decide which half he liked less.

"We haven't been properly introduced. Yes, as you are aware, my name is Doctor Strange. And you are Loki." Strange said in a perfectly monotonous and polite tone. Loki's eyelids slightly closed in irritation.

"Yes. But politeness doesn't change the fact that instead of introducing yourself, you used a cheap trick to make me fall for thirty minutes without any explanation. A trick which caught me off guard, I give you that one. But had I been aware of your presence, you could never even think about competing with me." Loki spoke these words automatically. He didn't like people using his own tricks against him.

"I highly doubt that but _anyway_ ," Strange emphasized the last word when he saw Loki's mouth opening to say something. "Yesterday I saved your life. So it seems to me that we are equal."

Saved his life? The hectic events of yesterday were blurry in Loki's mind but Strange's words made him remember the Doctor appearing in the middle of the mess, ordering Thor to bring Loki to his room. Loki hated to admit that in fact, Strange might have actually truly saved his life by solving the boisterous situation.

"What do you want?" The mistrustful god asked instead.

"Now, I want you to wake Thor up." Strange raised his eyebrows as if it was beneath him to repeat what he had said already.

Loki considered the proposal. He didn't like the idea of appearing as if he was following Strange's command. At the same time, having Thor awake would probably be for the best for him as well. Trying to appear as annoyed and unbothered as possible, Loki slowly lifted himself up into a sitting position. The blanket slipped down and he noticed that underneath his tunic there were bandages all over his torso. Sighing, Loki grabbed Thor's shoulder and shook it gently.

"Thor." He said in a hoarse voice. When nothing happened, he repeated his brother's name more vehemently. Still, there was no reaction.

Loki shook Thor's shoulders more forcefully but his brother was a deep sleeper. Instead of waking up, Thor instinctively shot his arms up to grab Loki who, unprepared for the sudden attack, found himself being brought down on the bed. Before he knew it, Loki was lying on his back with Thor's head resting on his chest.

At that moment, aware that Strange was probably dying from laughter, Loki had enough.

"THOR! Wake up you stupid oaf!" Loki screamed at top of his lungs. His damaged ribcage protested against the load of air, but the pain was worth it. Thor's head shot up awake from Loki's chest in confusion. Loki used the opportunity to slip away from Thor and sit back up.

"What is it?" Thor mumbled while looking in all different directions. Finally, his stare stabilised at Loki.

"Little brother? Is everything okay?" Thor asked with a mix of tenderness and worry in his voice. He scanned Loki from head to toe quickly and sighed in relief not noticing any affliction upon Loki.

"We are not alone." Loki answered only, diverting Thor's attention in front of the bed.

"Pleasure to meet you again, Thor Odinson." Strange smirked; it didn't happen everyday that you found a famous and an infamous alien god sleepy in their bed.

"Strange?" Thor stuttered confused glancing back at Loki.

"Stating the obvious has always been your flaw." Loki commented drily.

"Well sorry, brother. I have just been mercilessly woken up to find out a man standing in front of my bed. I think I have a right to be a little puzzled." Thor retorted sarcastically.

"I can't believe I have to say it again but, Thor, we are not alone." Loki gave Thor an important look and to his surprise Thor understood and shut his mouth. Maybe it wasn't well…appropriate for them to argue in front of a man whom they had seen twice in their lives.

"Well…it has been fascinating to observe you two but I believe we have some talking to do." Strange made a dramatic pause to let his words sink in.

"We're listening." Loki commented with a smug on his face. Strange continued, clearly unimpressed.

"Thor, the last time we spoke properly you promised to return to Asgard promptly with your brother."

"I did but as you may have heard, Asgard has been destroyed. We decided to seek refuge on Midgard." Thor replied quickly.

"I see. But are you sure bringing him with you was a good idea?" Strange pointed to Loki who was sitting on the bed with blanket around his waist.

"He is my brother." Thor said only.

"I am aware of the fact."

"What I mean is that we have fought side by side for centuries and we have also done so lately fighting against Hela. I believe that if we are to defeat any threat to the Nine Realms Fury mentioned and subsequently rebuilt our home, we have the best chance if we do it together."

Loki was listening carefully to Thor's monologue, unsure what he thought about it.

"That is…nice." Strange commented. "But can you promise me that your brother doesn't have any extra intentions?"

"No." Thor said after a moment of hesitation. Loki smirked. "But I chose to trust him and I am asking you to do the same."

"I don't need you two talking about me as if I wasn't in the room." Loki hissed, trying to hide his blushing cheeks.

"That's actually right. So, Loki, why did you come to Earth with Thor?"

Immediately, Loki visualised his pride and punched it. Why did he have to get involved in the conversation? Now he had to answer the uncomfortable question to which he didn't know the answer.

The problem was that no convincing lie was coming to Loki's silver tongue. He couldn't exactly say something like _The last time I was on Midgard I really enjoyed its panorama_. Neither could he play it cool by saying something self-satisfied such as _I thought you were in desperate need of qualified leadership_. He also knew that Strange wouldn't buy playing a sentimental fool saying something such as _I love my brother deeply and the idea of leaving him alone after our home was destroyed just didn't seem right_. No. The only option left seemed to be the truth.

But what was the truth?

Loki knew he was taking a risk by coming back to Midgard with Thor. So why did he actually do it?

This question was popping up in Loki's mind but he was always trying to push it away.

As the master of lies and deception, Loki knew that people often found it easier to forgive others for lies rather than the truth.

Especially if those in need of forgiveness were themselves.

Letting the truth dawn on him may bring undesirable sentiment or vulnerability to the God of Mischief; the emotions he had forbidden himself to feel a long time ago. They always, _always_ , let to more pain and disappointment. Loki knew that more you care, more you have to lose. But then Loki remembered what Frigga told him once.

 _It's much harder to lose when you show that you care, but you'll never win unless you also stand to lose._

Loki smiled sadly. The traditional presumptions about his family were distributed completely wrongly, except for Thor, of course. He really was the good-hearted yet temperamental hero. The rest, however, didn't fit.

Odin was the deceiver, the master of lies, the conqueror. Not Loki.

Frigga was actually the perceptive master of magic. Not Loki.

And Loki was…well Loki was the fifth wheel.

 _Stop. This is how the Other and…him would want you to think. You can't let them win._

Loki tried to concentrate his mind back from unproductive self-loathing to the original question. Why did he come back to Midgard?

Remembering Frigga's wisdom once more, Loki understood that his mother was able to convey profoundly deep ideas in sentences deep in themselves. He was aware that this idea described his inner conflict perfectly.

Truth be told, Loki realised that he would probably be able to reach for the truth that was hidden in the deep end of his brain. Loki knew it was there. Yet fear was keeping him from grabbing it and bringing it to light. It was much safer to keep convincing himself with the lie that he didn't know exactly why he came back to Thor.

Yet this was the no-win, no-loss option. Loki's feelings would not be shattered to pieces if he didn't let himself truly feel his brother's love towards him and more importantly, his own love towards his brother. It was not only his brother, of course. If Loki pretended he didn't really care about what the Asgardians thought about him coming back, he couldn't be disappointed by their lack of appreciation. It was safer to pretend that he came back for some selfish reasons.

So was he a coward to let the stalemate cloud his brain? Trying to think about what Frigga would say, Loki understood that she would probably point out that it is easy for others to judge him as a coward considering that they have never been in his shoes. None of them has lost so many times. They haven't lost the trust _in_ and _of_ their family. They haven't lost their sense of self. They haven't lost the respect of their father for trying to gain his respect. They haven't lost their sanity while being tortured by some hideous creatures in a place too scary to name. They haven't lost the ability to talk about the horrors they had experienced despite knowing that talking about them may be the only way to make people accept them back to their lives.

They haven't lost their freedom. They haven't lost hope. They haven't lost their ambitions.

Their passions.

They haven't lost themselves.

Once, Loki had stood to win. He tried to make his adopted family proud by doing what he thought his father would approve of when he would have awaken from his sleep. His father would have been proud and he would finally believe that Loki could be a valuable enrichment to their family, rather than burden. That he can be Thor's equal who can stay by his side, not in his shadow.

Yet Loki lost.

Hard.

Since then, he lacked…conviction. He was doing things half-heartedly. He either didn't truly care or he did and so he pretended not to care.

Or he pretended to be passionate about something when in fact he wanted to lose.

Magically, despite all of this, Loki was able to win back Thor's affection. His brother, who seemed to be finally indifferent towards him, turned out to be only testing him. Giving him one last chance. And Loki passed the test. Since Thor's mind has always been less complicated than Loki's convoluted one, this was enough for Thor. He was just happy to have his little brother back.

Maybe it was time for Loki to try to win once more. To truly let his passion, his emotions and his determination to shine. To let himself truly care.

It was the only way to win.

And the trickster liked the idea of winning.

With a deep breath in, Loki finally answered Strange's question.

"Because I didn't want to be alone anymore."

* * *

 **First of all, I am sorry for not updating for a while. The exams are peaking.**

 **Secondly, I am sure that some of you recognised that "Frigga's quote" was actually a quote from the fantastic Tom Hiddleston. The quote came to my mind naturally while I was writing and I decided to include it because of two reasons. I believe it fits Loki quite well and also, quite simply, I believe it to be one of the most accurate descriptions of life. I find it incredibly powerful and true.**

 **Thirdly, this story has reached more than 100 reviews and 150 followers. Wow. I feel very flattered and I need to thank every single one of you who has been reading. Thank you. Thank you very much.**

 **And lastly, we should be getting some more communication with the Avengers soon and the long promised interrogation by Fury is also looming behind the horizon ;)**


	12. Chapter XI - Brain and Biceps

There was silence in Thor's bedroom.

Loki didn't dare to look up to observe his brother's and Strange's reaction to what he has just said.

 _"_ _Because I didn't want to be alone anymore."_

It was the truth. The trickster spoke the whole truth and now he could only hope that he would not live to regret it. And that they would actually believe that for once, he sincerely meant what he said.

Thor could. Loki had said it to him already in the gladiators' prison on Sakaar. _I guess I'll have to do it alone. Like I've always done._ Back then, Thor only laughed at Loki's confession.

Loki's train of thoughts was interrupted by an eruption of pain in his ribcage.

Loki tried to scream but he only panted.

"By Odin's beard, I am so sorry, brother!" Thor uttered horrified and pulled away from his younger sibling. The Thunderer's attempt to embrace Loki was well-meant, but in the emotional moment, Thor forgot about Loki's injured ribs.

Loki felt as if a volcano erupted and the lava flow flooded his chest. It was such intense pain that the god found himself bending forward to lean his arms against the soft bed. He tried to focus on his breathing to control and suppress the pain.

He flinched when a big palm touched his back. Yet the hand did nothing to cause him further suffering; instead it was gently stroking his back in soothing circles. Loki focused on its calming regularity and warmth and fortunately, the pain slowly went away. When he felt strong enough, he went back into a sitting position. Loki glanced at his brother whose hand never left his back.

"I am so sorry, Loki. I wasn't thinking. I tried to hug you, but I didn't realise my own strength and your ribs…I should have known." Thor's expression was the definition of penitence.

"It's alright." The younger one mumbled. He still felt a bit humiliated and unsure about what he had said earlier.

"Loki, you will never be alone again. You must know that. I won't leave you. You even heard Heimdall; you managed to win the Asgardians' trust again. They gave me their blessing to go to find you, whatever it takes." Thor spoke seriously. For a moment, both brothers forgot about the presence of Doctor Strange in the room.

"Yeah." Loki muttered insecurely before he could stop himself.

"Loki, look at me." Thor insisted. He continued only when Loki's confused and still slightly sleepy eyes met his remaining eye. "I will not abandon you nor will I choose anyone's safety over yours. You are my brother and we must always protect each other. We may have not done that job justice lately but I swear that since this day, I will do everything in my power to keep you from harm. You have my word."

"And you have mine." Loki smiled shyly at Thor. Seeing his brother's appearing grin, he added: "Someone must use his brain for you, considering that your biceps are the only thing you decided to bless with usage. So the next time you try to squeeze the life out of someone with numerous broken ribs, I will be there to stop you."

"I am sorry about that, Loki." Thor said completely serious again.

"I trust you, Thor." Loki spoke the sentence before understanding its full implications. Yet when Thor's hoping gaze reached his, the God of Mischief knew that he meant it. Finally, he trusted Thor again. He knew that his brother would not give him up, he would not abandon him, he would not cease loving him and he would protect him against his friends if the need be. He would tend to his wounds, embrace him when he could use some comfort and he would not laugh if he displayed insecurity or affection. He would accept Loki's council and view him as his equal.

All these thoughts mirrored in Loki's deep eyes and his expression.

Thor didn't miss it. His eye watered involuntarily and he once again tried to embrace his brother. This time gently, paying attention to Loki's broken bones. Without hesitation, the younger god returned the hug.

"Little brother…" Thor began saying, but the nickname reminded Loki of the fact that Strange was still in the room, observing the whole exchange.

"Damn." Loki said and quickly ceased hugging Thor. His eyes searched the space in front of the bed. Yet Strange was nowhere to be found.

…

"How do you use this toaster, Tony?" Steve questioned the complicated-looking machine standing on the kitchen board. He had seen those before, but Stark's one looked completely different than any other. It had countless buttons, all of them without any indication what they might do, and it made the impression more of a bomb than a toaster.

"It is my own design." Tony said which explained everything. "You have to press the top right button which will enable you to turn on the three buttons under it in order to activate…" Tony didn't get a chance to finish.

"Could you make me two toasts, Tony?" Steve asked, understanding that he would never get the grip on the functioning of Tony's machine anyway.

"You give a poor man a fish and you feed him for a day. You…" The Iron Man was interrupted also this time.

"All I want is two little fish, Tony. I don't need to know how to fish. I'll make eggs tomorrow." Steve said quickly.

"I think you have been spending too much time with me, Steve. Sarcasm doesn't suit you." Tony muttered but stood up to use the genius-toast-creating-machine he invented.

"Children." Bruce mumbled while sipping his coffee.

"I must agree with you, Doctor Banner." A voice spoke from the living room.

"Doctor Strange." Bruce lifted his gaze.

"I came to tell you that based on my observation, you should be able to trust Loki for the time being. I am not absolutely sure about him. There is an aura of mystery around him that I am still unable to break through, but based on my latest analysis, he truly doesn't mean harm to Earth." Strange spoke in his usual, calm manner.

"What do you mean by the aura of mystery? Could he be hiding something? Working as a double agent or something like that?" Tony ignored the fact that the man just appeared in his living room. He was a rational man, he could ignore the less relevant things and focus his attention on the truly pressing matters.

"Possibly, yes. But I do see that option as quite unlikely. Anyway, do keep your eyes open, but it would be incredibly convenient if you didn't try to antagonize the God of Thunder and his people more than you and SHIELD did already." And with a hint of smirk, Strange vanished again.

"This guy…" Bruce lost his thought. "I just don't get him."

"Yeah well…more importantly, who exactly is he? Like…what does he do? Where does he live?" Steve questioned. "You know what, whatever. Can I just get my toast?"

"If you wouldn't mind making more toasts, I also happen to be rather hungry."

All three Avengers immediately searched for the deep voice of their friend. They found Thor standing at the edge of the living room. He was wearing a simple t-shirt and pants. He didn't bother to put on shoes. His short hair looked dishevelled. Clearly, he hasn't been awake for too long.

Next to him, there was the source of all the restlessness in the Stark Tower. The God of Mischief wasn't, unlike his brother, wearing clothes from Earth. _It was probably beneath him,_ Tony thought. Yet he wasn't wearing the armour that they were always used to either.

Loki was wearing a simple, dark green tunic and black trousers. One of his shoulders was thoroughly bandaged. In fact, there was so much gauze that it went on to his forearm. It was clearly put on by someone with no medical experience, but with a lot of determination to do it right. Tony thought that it may not look too elegant, but such an amount of cloth must have done the trick to stop the bleeding.

Loki looked pale and he was leaning onto Thor for support. His hair was even more dishevelled than Thor's and his cheek was badly bruised. However, Tony didn't fail to notice that despite the lack of expertise, Loki's injuries were carefully tended to. It must have been Thor.

Tony felt a jab of guilt upon understanding his role in keeping Thor away from helping his brother when he was attacked by Clint. He took a deep breath in and said as calmly as possible:

"We need to talk."

* * *

 **As always, thank you for reading.**

 **Please, review if you feel like doing so.**


	13. Chapter XII - The Battle of Wits

**Hello everyone...there was some problem with the previous chapter. It didn't function for some reason but it should all be fine now. So if you read chapter XI, there is the next one. Enjoy ;)**

* * *

"Sir, our satellites took this photo an hour ago. It seems that Thanos is getting closer." An agent handed Fury a tablet with the pictures.

Fury examined them closely. Thanos' spaceship was huge; the Director has never seen such a massive flying object. Even its exterior appeared threatening; Fury didn't even try to imagine what could be lurking inside.

His planet was clearly in danger. He had to act.

Fury took out his phone and found Stark's name.

…

Loki told Thor approximately seventy-five times that it was not a good idea. That they should stay in the room. Yet his idiotic brother insisted that Loki needed sustenance which could, conveniently, be found only in the kitchen. Yes, the kitchen connected to the very safe living room in which he was almost massacred.

The God of Mischief did remind Thor that he was a god, not a mere mortal, and that he could go a few days without eating some pathetic Midgardian food. Yet Thor went on how Loki was in need of getting stronger and insisted that the healing process would be much more efficient with full stomach.

When Loki didn't stop protesting, Thor took a list from his brother's playbook of mischief.

"Fine, little brother. I will go to the kitchen, tell my friends that you wouldn't come out and prepare some food for you. I'll bring it back to you."

Loki gave Thor the evil eye. He knew what his brother was doing; playing on his sense of pride. A Prince of Asgard couldn't hide away in a room because of some mortal superheroes. Loki understood the use of reverse psychology yet that didn't stop his pride from kicking him and whispering to him that the implications of Thor's words were actually true. Had he let his brother bring him food back to his room, he would look a coward or too injured, which meant weak and vulnerable, to go to the kitchen himself.

"Fine, I'll go with you." Loki hissed while rolling his eyes to show Thor what he thought about his brilliant play.

Thor couldn't hide the grin spreading across his face. He helped Loki get up from the bed, having the trickster _accidently_ stepping onto his bare feet.

"Your feet are cold." Thor said.

"My feet have always been cold, but I suppose you have always been more interested in Sif's…body parts. Or that woman's." Loki responded.

Thor didn't find the answer worth replying to and so he let Loki put his uninjured arm around his shoulders to lean on him. Then they stepped out of the room.

"Well, at least I haven't been tricked. Or should I say Loki'd?" Thor cracked a smile.

"Did you just use my name as a synonym for being tricked?" Loki marvelled. "Well…actually, I do suppose that I deserve things to be named after me. So you may keep using it." Loki smirked.

When they reached the living room, Loki was feeling anxious. However, he meant it when he said that he trusted Thor. Yet Thor's judgement was a different thing entirely and Loki cursed himself for allowing his oaf of a brother to lead him to the literally bloody living room.

 _You are a god. A prince. A saviour. You should be a king and have statues built in your honour. You can deal with a few idiots. They managed to get to you because of the moment of surprise. This advantage is now yours._

Loki focused his attention fully on his surroundings and heard that the so-called superheroes were discussing toast making. The God of Mischief had to stop himself from rolling his eyes yet again.

"If you wouldn't mind making more toasts, I also happen to be rather hungry." His brother said and the attention of everyone turned to them.

For some reason, probably because he was busy sulking at Thor, Loki didn't manage to invent a strategy of approaching the Avengers. He didn't decide whether he would try to make an impression of a gravely wounded person who is no treat or a smug top dog who found the whole situation beneath him and who wasn't actually injured at all.

And so he was just leaning onto Thor with a slightly surprised expression on his face.

"We need to talk." Stark stated with an unreadable expression.

"Yes, we should." Steve agreed and began walking towards the living room while holding a knife that was intended for spreading the butter and jam on the toast.

Not unreasonably, Thor deduced the situation to be hostile and so he raised his arm to call for Mjolnir.

"Seriously, brother?" Loki eyed Thor with a mix of amusement and worry in his eyes.

"Right." Thor mumbled and put the arm down in theatrically devastated manner.

"It was just a hammer, Thor." Loki commented.

"No, it was Mjolnir." Thor retorted immediately.

"I have been telling you since we were around five years old: don't name your things!" Loki said in a patronising tone.

"Well, there wouldn't be a problem with me naming my toys if you wouldn't practice your magic on them and destroy most of them as a result."

"Daddy, Loki turned my wooden sword _The Head-cutter_ into a snake." Loki perfectly mimicked Thor's voice.

"I didn't sound like that."

"You did and anyway, you should have been happy. You adore snakes."

"I couldn't exactly practice with a wooden snake, could I?"

"You've always lacked imagination."

"And you have had too much of it."

"I don't deny that."

Thor didn't reply and instead both brothers focused their attention back on the trio in front of them.

Steve was standing with the knife in his hand while staring at the brothers with his mouth wide open. Stark was eyeing them with a raised left eyebrow and Bruce was sitting by the table and inconspicuously smiling to himself.

"Right." Thor coughed. "Steve, could you please put the knife down? We mean no harm."

Steve snapped back to reality. "Oh yeah, sorry. I just…it was for the toasts. Tony was supposed to make me some. Not that I couldn't do it myself. It's just that his machine is too complicated. I don't know why I took such a big knife actually. It wasn't meant…you know." He turned back and put the knife on the table.

"Maybe we should all move to the sofas. No one is attacking anyone unless you want me to get angry." Bruce commented and exemplarily went to sit on one of the couches.

Tony and Steve followed him and sat next to the doctor.

Thor and Loki copied them in a minute. The last remaining members of the Asgardian royal family made their way towards a sofa facing the three already seated Avengers. Loki brought his arm away from his brother's shoulders and carefully sat on the comfortable pillows. He moved himself back so that he was leaning onto the backrest, also bringing his long legs onto the sofa and crossing them. Thor sat right next to him.

"Right." Tony commented.

"Right." Thor replied.

"So far, the conversation has been meaningful and productive." Loki spoke for the first time in the presence of the team.

"You're the reason we need to have a conversation in the first place." Tony wouldn't be intimidated by the witty god.

"I am honoured." Loki replied. Thor smiled next to him. He was happy to see that his brother was back to his mischievous self, even though it meant that the negotiations with the Avengers would be twice as long and complicated.

"Brother." Thor scolded Loki half-heartedly.

"What is it, Thor? You're always saying how I should tell the truth. Once I do it, you have a problem with it."

"You know what I mean. Diplomacy was always your strength, so don't play dumb."

"No one would ever believe me if I played dumb. My eyes would involuntarily shine with intelligence anyway." The God of Mischief gave Thor a disarming wink.

"So use some of your intelligence now." Thor was slowly losing patience.

"Are you two always like that?" Tony commented, pretending to hide the smile forming on his lips.

"Like what?" Loki hissed offensively.

"Like…I don't know. Brothers I suppose." Tony deduced.

"We are brothers." Thor replied.

"Well, technically…" Loki began but was interrupted by Thor.

"Oh, shut up, Loki." The trickster gave his brother a burning stare but did indeed shut up.

"This is leading nowhere." Bruce decided to take the wheel of the conversation. "Tony, Steve? You wanted to say something."

Tony glimpsed at Steve who glanced back at him.

Steve sighed.

"Look, Thor. We're sorry. We didn't think it through. We should have discussed it with you beforehand and make arrangements for Loki's arrival based on some kind of compromise." Steve got out of him quickly.

"I appreciate you saying that, friend." Thor replied.

"And I am sorry for smashing you into the wall." Tony added.

Thor nodded in understanding.

"And…" Bruce spurred his friends to continue.

"Clint shouldn't have shot you. It wasn't a part of the plan and at that moment, it wasn't the right-hero thing to do." Tony said, turning his attention to Loki.

It wasn't an apology, but it was a beginning.

"But Thor, how do you imagine this functioning?" Tony asked his friend. "We can't just leave him running around hoping that he won't try to kill anyone."

"I am in this room, Stark." Loki spoke for the first time directly to one of the Avengers. "And I am not intending to kill anyone. For now."

"And why is that?" Steve questioned. "The last time I saw you, you tried to enslave everyone while killing those who would oppose you. What changed?"

"What is the point of this conversation if you don't believe anything I say anyway?" Loki raised his eyebrows. This conversation was quickly turning as uncomfortable as he would expect it to be. The God of Mischief was more than familiar with people being distrustful and openly hostile towards him, but he never got completely used to that. He supposed that no one could.

"Try us." Stark said only.

"Asgard was destroyed." Loki continued reluctantly. "Our people have nowhere to go. The Universe is an unsafe place now. I will not jeopardise their position on Midgard over some petty conflict."

"Since when do you care about anyone but you?" Tony challenged.

"I have always cared about my people. I have ruled them for the past few years and I did everything in my power to get them to safety. I will not watch all that hard work go to waste." Loki replied. An awkward silence followed.

"I suppose that makes sense." Tony mumbled after a while. "So you two," Tony gestured to the Asgardian brothers, "are the best pals again?"

"We still have a lot to discuss, but we declared truce for now." Surprisingly, it was Loki who answered the question.

"I am sorry, guys." Tony had to voice his thoughts loudly. "But this still doesn't make much sense. You are going on about how you loved each other for who knows how many centuries, how there were some slight disagreements and how you united to defeat whoever tried to kill all the people of Asgard. Forgive me if it doesn't go together with my last memory of Loki commanding everyone to kneel, throwing me out of a window and stabbing Thor in order to lead an alien army to destroy as much of this planet as possible."

Thor tried to say something, but Loki was faster.

"Look, Stark. I got it. You would be a fool to trust me. I am not a hero. I never was…. until recently when I saved the whole race from extinction, but that is not my point now." Loki paused when he saw Stark being unable to hide a little smile dancing on his lips. "Anyway, all I can tell you is that I was not…myself when attacking Midgard. I am not telling you why. Fury will be coming here anyway so you will be able to listen to that lovely fairy-tale whether I like it or not."

"What did Fury do to you?" Tony asked.

"He called it interrogation, I believe." Loki replied avoiding eye contact with anyone. Thor put a hand on his uninjured shoulder.

"You don't have to talk about it, brother." The Thunderer said quietly.

"I didn't intend to." Loki answered trying to keep his voice strong. He didn't fully succeed as little trembling was audible to those listening attentively to his reply.

"Torture is always wrong, Loki." Tony said out of blue. The trickster's sharp eyes met his. "Look, Bruce told us that something very twisted must have happened in the SHIELD headquarters. I know… I know what torture is like and I don't even want to imagine what exactly occurred to you there considering those bandages under your … er … is it blouse? Just know that it will not go like that when Fury gets here. My house, my rules."

Stark's monologue surprised Loki but he only nodded to show that he heard Stark. Next to him, Thor seemed to be on the verge of giving Tony a big hug. He might have done so had Tony's phone not rang.

The mechanic took the phone out of his pocket and frowned upon seeing the number.

"Speaking of the devil…" He muttered. Without hesitation, Tony stood up and moved towards the kitchen to answer the call.

"Is that…?" Thor gave the remaining duo a questioning look.

"Fury? Yeah, probably." Steve finished Thor's question for him. The captain didn't fail to notice how Loki flinched.

Steve didn't want to think about how this situation was wrong on so many different levels.

"How is your shoulder, Loki?" Bruce changed the topic of the conversation.

Loki blinked a few times surprised at the sudden question.

"It's fine considering that it was Thor who bandaged it." Loki said quietly. He spoke the truth without the intention of criticising his brother's attempt.

"Yeah. I was just about to say that the bandage looks a bit…disorganised. But still, for someone with no medical training, good job, Thor." Bruce added quickly noticing the sombre frown creeping into the Thunderer's face.

"Actually, I expected to find my shoulder black and ready to be amputated in the morning. I think mother would be proud if she could see your healing abilities, Thor." Loki turned to Thor whose mouth opened wide upon being thunderstruck by hearing Loki's words. They may have reconciled and were able to trust each other again, but hearing a sincere compliment coming from his brother was a different thing entirely. Also, Thor was very well aware that Loki would never joke about their mother and so he did actually mean what he said.

"You may close your mouth, Thor." Loki joked and smirked when his brother actually followed his advice and did so. "I am not an idiot, Thor. I know very well that no one else would be willing to tend to my wound. I am not such an ungrateful bastard." The mischievous prince finished quietly. He was aware of letting too many of his inner thoughts out lately, but he couldn't help himself. It felt extremely liberating to be able to lift a bit of the burden he was carrying inside himself for all those years.

"You're very welcome, little brother." Thor smiled at his younger sibling who surprisingly returned the favour.

The more you care, the more you have to lose. But you also have more to win.

"Did you just call him a little brother?" Steve asked incredulously.

Thor opened his mouth yet again but found no appropriate answer. And Loki blushed. To Steve's astonishment, the would-be-conqueror-of-Earth actually blushed.

"I was just about to say that it may be beneficial if I took a look at your shoulder, Loki. I am no medical specialist, but I know more than the basic first aid. That wound looks nasty." Bruce finished his idea.

Before Loki managed to put himself together to answer, Stark was back with a grim expression.

"It was Fury. He'll be coming here in the evening."

* * *

 **With Fury coming in...The mood will drastically change. Not for the better. Get ready for some angst. Review to give Loki strength...**


	14. Chapter XIII - It's Just a Name

Instantly, Loki turned from pale to completely colourless.

 _Fury would be interrogating him again. Even if his brother managed to keep the Director from physically hurting him, he would not get himself out of talking about his time in the void._

Loki couldn't talk about it. He just couldn't bring himself to relive the most painful memories of his entire life. The mere idea of talking about the horrors he suffered at the hands of the vile creature whose name he was unable to articulate made Loki feel as if he was going to vomit. The shaking god brought his trembling hand to cover his mouth.

He wouldn't throw up in front of the Avengers.

"Loki?" Thor asked softly. His brother seemed to be in some sort of trance.

"I can't. Not the void. Please. Don't make me." Loki whispered out of breath.

 _"Why are you resisting, little prince?" The Other's hideous, soul-sucking grey face sneered right into his ear._

 _He couldn't even lift his head up. His vision was blurry, and he could see the dirty, coarse ground only vaguely. His shoulders were violently protesting against his body and head hanging helplessly in the stale air. The only cause for him still being in somewhat upright position were the shackles which were cutting into each of his wrists. His arms were spread out unnaturally far, leaving him completely exposed and defenceless as a result. His feet were touching the ground only with his toes by now; his knees were trying to find relief in resting on the ground in a Sisyphus's fight against the shackles binding his arms and keeping him unable to repose._

 _He was still wearing his armour. It was the Other's way of humiliating him further; to show him that no layer of golden metal and green leather from the shiny Asgard could help him now. It was definitely powerless against the Other inflicting torment upon him. Loki knew that very well by now._

 _"I asked you a question." The Other hissed dangerously quietly._

 _But Loki didn't have the energy to raise his head._

 _Not anymore._

 _The Other's hands were covered by rough, scaly skin. His fingers were unnaturally long and bony. Each of them ended in a long, dirty, sharp nail. Now, these fingers dug painfully into Loki's jaw and jerked his head up._

 _The god only gasped in agony. His vocal cords were too exhausted from too much screaming to create more articulate sounds._

 _"You lack good manners, prince." The Other spat the last word as if it was a curse._

 _"You don't know who you are. Don't you remember the moment when you landed here?" The vile creature's face turned into an ugly smirk._

 _"I can remind you." He said while bringing his other hand on the side of Loki's head._

 _Loki screamed and leaned backwards. He had only his godly body to thank for his back not breaking apart._

 _He could feel it again. The utter nothing, the black void around him while his stomach was wildly twisting as his arms and legs desperately searched for anything solid. Yet there was only the infinite darkness around him. The Other didn't remind Loki of the depiction of his fall. He reminded him of how it felt to be lost in there._

 _Suddenly, Loki relived the moment when out of blue he collided with the surface of the unknown cesspit of the universe._

 _The feeling of his bones breaking apart. The dull resonation in his skull. The hopeless attempts to bring some air inside his lungs to take a breath. The pain shooting from each angle of his body. Each injury caused by his uncontrolled collision with the unwelcoming surface._

 _And Loki screamed._

"Brother, please. Look at me." The God of Thunder demanded, but his little brother didn't stop shaking. Thor was getting desperate and so he raised his hand to forcefully remove his brother's palm covering his mouth and force Loki to look at him. Yet Tony stopped him.

"Thor, don't touch him now." Tony said in an unusually serious tone. Thor froze in his movements and stared desperately at the mechanic.

"I know this. I know what to do." Tony said with confidence and knelt in front of Loki.

 _Oh, the irony. Had the God of Mischief not been suffering from a panic attack, he would have enjoyed this situation immensely._

"Loki, look at me. Focus. Nothing you are thinking about is real. There is no void. No one and nothing can bring you back there. Do you here me? It is over, and it will never happen again. You are alright. Thor is right next to you." Tony articulated each word clearly and by the end of his short monologue, Loki's terrified eyes shifted to stare into his. Tony recognised the familiar disbelief and horror in them.

"You are clever, aren't you? Thor always goes on about how intelligent you are. So think. Would your mind ever create a safe place in which I would be present? Hm?" Tony knew that what worked on him was the use of rational and logical thinking. He hoped the god in front of him would be the same.

"No." Loki whispered.

Tony sighed in relief. Loki was following what he was saying.

"See? You are in my tower. Everything is fine. Thor is right here. You have nothing to be afraid of. Everything is alright." Tony didn't stop repeating the magical formula.

After an incredibly long moment, Loki nodded and his eyes filled with tears.

"I am so sorry." He breathed out and turned to Thor. "Brother I am so sorry. I tried to be strong but I couldn't. I can't. Please, don't be angry. Don't turn your back on me." The younger god begged Thor. Tears spilt out of his eyes and were making their way down the trickster's bruised cheeks.

"Shh, it's alright, little brother. It's alright." Thor understood what Stark was doing. He was eternally grateful for him, but now it was his turn to calm his sibling down.

Thor extended his arm and brought the palm of his hand on the back of Loki's neck in their gesture. He kept all his movements slow and obvious not to scare Loki further.

"I will never turn my back on you. You have my word. I am sorry I let you down, but it will not happen again. You are strong, brother. You are the strongest person I have ever known. Mother would have been so proud to see everything you have done to save our people." Finally, after all the times when Thor said the wrong thing which only made Loki hide deeper inside his shell, the Thunderer said the right thing.

Loki nodded. He didn't cease crying and when he choked on a sob, Thor brought him into a hug.

The lean god melted in his brother's huge arms as if they were his safe haven. He let himself be absorbed in his brother's warmth. He focused on Thor's hand stroking his back and at his deep voice whispering words of comfort.

Loki buried his face in Thor's chest and soon, the Thunderer's t-shirt was soaked in tears which were ceaselessly coming out of Loki's usually such brilliant eyes. His whole body was shaking violently with both relief and desperation. Pain was shooting out of Loki's bandaged ribs which were protesting against such violent movements of the chest. The wound from Barton's arrow reopened and the blood was now colouring the bandage around Loki's shoulder. Yet Loki didn't have any energy to spare to control the convulsions which were now in control of his body. He gave up any idea of moving and just allowed himself to fully rest his body weight against Thor who brought him as close to himself as possible.

Thor may be a God of Thunder, but his usual rough hands used to wielding Mjolnir and smashing his enemies' skulls turned into soothing devices now. Thor's right hand was drawing circles on Loki's back, effectively holding him in place and close to Thor while providing comfort that the trickster's haunted mind could turn his attention to. Thor's left hand was in Loki's hair, gently massaging his head under the dishevelled, raven-coloured, slightly wavy hair.

Loki was partly aware of the Avengers still being around. At the back of his mind a little voice was telling him to put himself together in front of his enemies and stop being so bloody vulnerable.

Yet the Avengers were just one branch of Loki's numerous enemies. His bigger demons were now dancing all around his mind and the only thing capable of stopping their vengeful movements and mercilessly throwing them out seemed to be the comfort of his brother.

Loki felt like Yggdrasil, the tree connecting the Nine Realms together. Only there weren't any friendly planets at the ends of his branches. It was as if each branch carried the burden of the unwelcoming Jotunheim full of monsters and vile creatures of darkness. They were all crawling on the edge of each branch, waiting for the opportunity to invade Loki's mind and conquer his cognitive functions and delete his conscience.

Maybe it was his punishment for trying to violate the balance of the Yggdrasil by destroying Jotunheim.

Loki had to keep those demons at bay.

Fortunately, it seemed that he wasn't alone at this task anymore. The reinforcements have arrived. And what better reinforcements than his brother, a God of Thunder, who managed to defeat Hulk in a single combat.

"They are lurking in my mind, Thor. Looming behind the horizon. The demons. It is so difficult to keep them locked away. They were telling me to take the spaceship far away from both Sakaar and Asgard. I managed to get rid of them then, but what if I can't keep doing that?" Loki whispered underneath his breath. But Thor heard him.

"Don't worry, brother. I'll hunt the demons down and slay them all." Thor said and meant every single word.

Loki remembered this sentence. It was hunting him since he touched the Casket and confirmed his parentage.

 _I'll hunt the monsters down and slay them all._

The God of Mischief viewed this sentence as a confirmation of his lack of family. Even in their childhood, Thor was willing to kill his monster of a brother. Even if he wasn't aware of it yet.

But now, the sentence got an entirely different meaning. It got the real meaning, the one if was always meant to have.

Thor would not let these demons overtake his mind again. Thor would be there for him, hold him if the need be and help him to make the right decision. He wouldn't let Thanos touch him again.

Here.

He said it.

It may have been only in his mind but he said it.

Thanos.

He can't touch him now. His name cannot hurt him. He himself can't hurt or control him.

Loki can do it. Thor said it himself. He is strong enough.

Slowly, Loki's sobbing ceased so that only an occasional, lonely sob would escape his lips. His eyes have also dried out, whether it was because they run out of tears or because Loki was calming down didn't matter.

 _I'll hunt the monsters down and slay them all._

Loki repeated that sentence inside his brain. He managed to take the sentence that represented his loneliness and turn it into strength, telling him that his brother will always have his back.

If he managed to do that, he can turn his life around as well.

Loki didn't want to be alone anymore.

But he wasn't worried about that any longer.

He wasn't alone.

He was loved.

Suddenly, Loki knew how to show Fury what he wanted to see. He just wasn't sure the Director will like it.

* * *

 **If you are asking yourself for how long I can keep hinting Fury's return, then the answer is for quite a while ;)**

 **Anyway, the exams are over (imagine the face Loki made when people were running around him in chaos in Stuttgart) so a lot of time for updating. Yay!**

 **I am so happy that people still keep following and** **favoriting this story. I have just seen the prologue which truly was written just because of a little idea based on Loki's line in the mid-credit scene in Ragnarok, but I have been immensely enjoying writing more of it.**

 **As always, I enjoy reading your reviews so please do leave a comment.**


	15. Chapter XIV - Come Together

No one in the room bothered to measure the time since Stark mentioned the idea of Fury's interrogation and the young god came undone.

It was a shock for all of them.

They knew Loki as the arrogant bastard who tried to kill everyone.

It didn't match the broken soul in front of them who tried to keep everything together for so long until he finally broke down and who was now crying his eyes out into his brother's t-shirt.

Out of the three of them, Tony could understand the situation the most. He knew from experience that things often weren't as they seemed. He also knew what it meant to be hunted by his own demons and how powerful those could be. He didn't hesitate to offer Loki as much relief as he could, remembering the little boy who talked him through his own breakdown.

Steve was also no stranger to being unable to control his own destiny. He didn't know what exactly prompted Loki to lose his control so drastically, but he would never judge him for that. The soldier was getting the uncomfortable feeling that someone messed up with Loki's head. If that was indeed true, Steve couldn't say much against the god, considering that he protected his best friend and was willing to overlook his crimes because Bucky wasn't in control of his mind.

Banner only confirmed his own suspicions. Loki on Sakaar didn't match the Loki on Earth. Bruce was certain that something drastic must have happened before Loki's attack on his home planet. He himself was all too familiar with being unable to control his emotions from overcoming him and turning him into something he never wanted to be.

Somehow, every person in the room had to surmount a difficult situation they found themselves in at a certain moment in their life. They knew what it meant to make mistakes that they would never be able to fully repay. But they were not those people who would take the easy way out; those who never try anything because they are too afraid to lose. The Avengers made choices that sometimes people disagreed with, however, they could never be accused of hypocrisy. Or not giving people second chances had they deserved them.

And so the trio only sat there on the couch, each lost in his own thoughts. They didn't attempt to interrupt the brothers. It wasn't their place to do so.

As his tears dried out and his sobs silenced, Loki's body was no longer twisting in convulsions. He was now almost peacefully resting against his brother. When the last evil thoughts safely left him, Loki felt nothing but exhausted.

His physical injuries haven't been fully healed and the breakdown did the rest. The god was breathing heavily. He didn't try to move away from his brother's warm safety. Why would he. Even if he wasn't, he felt safe and sound.

"Loki?" Thor's voice filled with insecurity reached the younger god's ears.

"Hm?" The raven-haired god mumbled into his brother's t-shirt. He didn't bother to raise his head. He felt too worn out to do so.

"The bandage around your shoulder is all red." Thor pointed out gently with worry.

Loki sighed.

"As I said, I can take a look at it. If you let me." Bruce voice came out of blue. Loki almost forgot that the Avengers were still there. A little voice inside his head was telling him to put himself together and put the mask of smug back on his face and the walls back around his heart, but frankly, he didn't see much point in that considering that the team has just witnessed him crying for who knows how long.

Loki raised his head away from his brother's chest and glanced at Bruce. The scientist seemed sincere and calm enough to prevent any unpleasant surprising green beast's appearances. The God of Mischief knew he should be able to trust his judgement on that; he remembered his mother telling him that he's always been perceptive of others. Now Loki concluded that Bruce was going to stay Bruce and that he meant him no immediate harm. Slowly, he nodded.

Without any further comments, Bruce stood up and left the living room. Soon, he was back with a white box similar to the one Thor used in his attempt to treat Loki's injuries. Awkwardly, the doctor sat next to Thor and Loki. He didn't say anything but opened the box and stared inside with fake interest. He would touch all the different medical kits to make himself seem busy. He began to think that it was probably not the best idea to offer help to the mad god when the God of Thunder finally spoke.

"Ready, brother?" Thor whispered loud enough for both Loki and Banner to hear him.

Loki nodded in agreement and lifted himself up. He hissed, immediately noticing the pain in his shoulder and ribs. Now when the worst mental torment was fortunately gone, he understood in how much physical pain he actually was. His crying session made him breathe too heavily for his fragile ribs which were trying to desperately heal themselves with the use of his magic. Now his ribs were calling in vain for the healing magic to return and instead they were soaked in agony every time the Trickster would take a breath. His shoulder was doing ever worse. The wound was nasty; Clint's arrows were created to make nasty wounds and being shot from such a short distance reduced Loki's shoulder into a bloody mess. By now, Loki didn't even try to move his arm in any way, knowing that it would only send more pain throughout his body and the god was truly done with all of that.

Reluctantly, Loki made an eye contact with Bruce. He couldn't help himself but to think about the strange relationship they now shared. It was more than obvious that they were being very cautious around each other and didn't fully trust one another. At the same time, Bruce has shown Loki a lot of empathy when he joined Thor on his quest to save his younger brother which was something the contemplative god had trouble understanding. Also, Frigga was rarely wrong, and Loki indeed was very perceptive and so he didn't fail to notice all those little things Bruce did for him to feel more comfortable. Such as before they entered Stark's flat when he needed a moment of privacy with Thor and Bruce provided it without the need to be asked to do so. Being empathic was such a rare and underappreciated quality which Loki would prize in others. It may have been because Loki grew up in a family in which his brother would never notice that his younger sibling was constantly being pushed into shadows. Loki wasn't sure whether Odin also never noted the fact or he just didn't care. Frankly, he wasn't sure which option was more unpleasant and so he just shook these thoughts out of his mind.

Finally, Bruce plucked out the courage.

"Ehm…can you…you know…remove your…is it a tunic?" The doctor muttered while blushing slightly.

"No." Loki answered truthfully. He saw the confusion in Bruce's expression and considering that his shoulder and chest were on fire, he decided not to roast the doctor in one of his jokes.

"I mean I don't mind removing the tunic." The god emphasised the last word to those mortals who obviously understood nothing about fashion. "It is just that I can't lift my arm. So I need…" A God of Mischief doesn't need help. "I need an assistance." Loki finished as quickly as possible.

When did this situation get so humiliating for him?

Probably at the moment he set a foot into this flat.

Incorrect.

When he set a foot onto this planet.

So it seemed to be a bit too late to back down now.

"Let me." Thor's voice interrupted Loki's never-ending train of thoughts which was his bliss as it would provide him with his witty intelligence but at the same time a burden as it would never leave his mind to fully rest.

This time Loki actually rolled his eyes.

His brother was going to undress him in front of the Avengers.

Loki never thought such sentence would ever become true.

"Don't you have a spell for making your clothes disappear? It would probably be one of the first spells I would learn." Tony commented and reminded Loki of his presence in the room.

"Never let Pepper hear you saying that." Steve commented dryly.

"I didn't mean it in such…well okay I did, but you know it could be quite practical for both me and Pepper. Just think about it. I can get out of my Iron Man suits in seconds, but it takes ages to get yourself out of normal suits. I think that if someone was to invent a way to make their clothes disappear, they would make themselves very rich." Tony finished his monologue.

"As fascinating as it was to listen to your thoughts, Stark, you obviously have no idea how magic actually functions. It is more of creating illusions or using it for your inner benefit. You shouldn't misuse it for something as trivial as you have suggested." Loki never liked people speaking about his magic with disrespect. On Asgard, it was such a daily occurrence that he gave up on the idea of educating the Asgardians about the true power and purpose of this art. On Midgard, however, the mortals knew nothing about his magic and so the Trickster could at least try to prevent them from creating completely wrong assumptions.

"That sounds actually so fascinating. I wonder on what principle those illusions actually function. There must be some scientific explanation for them." Stark contemplated aloud.

Loki was thunderstruck.

And it had nothing to do with Thor.

He couldn't remember anyone other than his mum calling his magic _fascinating_.

"I may show you unless you try to murder me again." He said half-joking.

"Loki." Thor scolded his brother again who glanced back at him with raised eyebrows.

Right.

His injuries.

Thor carefully lifted Loki's tunic and tried to pull it over his uninjured shoulder. Not surprisingly, it didn't work, and the only result was Loki wincing in pain.

"You may want to use this." Bruce suggested, passing Thor scissors intended for cutting bandages.

Thor took the scissors with thanks, but Loki wasn't overly fond of the idea.

"If you cut me…" He started but Thor didn't let him finish.

"I won't if you don't move."

Thor did as he promised and soon everyone could see the massive amount of bandages all over Loki's torso.

"Sometimes, Fury is such an idiot." Steve mumbled and diverted his gaze. It was uncomfortable for him to see the lengths that the Director was willing to go to get what he wanted. Even if it was for a good cause.

"Maybe it is just Thor's incompetence." Tony replied but shut up when Thor gave him a look with sparks which didn't seem too friendly.

Slowly, Bruce began to unwrap the bandages. It took quite a while to remove all the layers but when he was done, everyone could see how bruised and scarred Loki's chest was. The bruises and welts were in many different colours. The God of Mischief was toned but not overly muscly as his brother and so the Avengers could see that some of his ribs were in unnatural shapes that seemed very painful.

"Right." Bruce commented only and began unwrapping the bandage around Loki's shoulder. This time, Loki wasn't able to stop a few moans escaping his lips. When Thor brought his hand to cover Loki's smaller one in a comforting gesture, the Trickster felt like an idiot. Yet when the bandage was gone and Loki could see the bloody hole in his shoulder, he squeezed his brother's hand in return.

Fortunately, Bruce used his rational, seven-PhDs-training in logical thinking and despite having no official medical expertise, he was working as quickly and as painlessly as possible. He cleansed Loki's scars with disinfectant and applied the right pressure where needed. Then he bandaged Loki's chest and shoulder tightly enough not to be uncomfortable but to make sure than nothing had the chance to move and so could heal properly.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Bruce examined Loki from a bit of a distance.

"I think we're done here." Banner said and the god exhaled in relief. During the process, he had a few moments when he debated inside his mind about the point of healing injuries when it caused almost as much pain as making them.

"Thank you." The Trickster replied automatically.

"You're welcome." Bruce answered, successfully hiding his shock upon hearing the words of thanks from the God of Mischief.

Loki looked around himself. Thor was sitting next to him for the whole time, providing assistance to Bruce anytime he needed it. Stark was doing something on his phone and Steve seemed to be reading some book. Loki was eternally grateful that all of them decided to pretend that his breakdown never happened.

"Tony?" Thor questioned and Stark brought his gaze from his phone. "Do you have by any chance some clothes that Loki could borrow?"

Tony seemed in process of replying something sarcastic, but he changed his mind at the last moment.

"I'll take a look." The Iron Man said and disappeared in the corridor.

"Are you alright, brother?" Thor asked with concern.

Loki nodded with honest albeit exhausted smile. There was no smirk; no rolling eyes. Just a smile showing Thor that he appreciated his care. It meant the world to the God of Thunder.

"Right. Who's hungry? I am. Let's cook something!" Thor suggested with enthusiasm. He got to his feet and gave Bruce an innocent look.

"Would you be so kind to help me with those kitchen machines, Bruce?" Thor formulated the question in such a way not to show how utterly lost he was in the sense of cooking.

"I am going to wash my hands and be right back." The doctor said only. Thor understood that it was quite a good idea, considering that his brother's blood was all over them.

"You should lay down, Loki." Thor focused the attention back to his brother who seemed to be close to fainting on the spot.

"That's not such a bad idea." Loki mumbled and made an attempt to stand up to go back to Thor's room.

"Don't you want to stay here? I will be right over there in the kitchen." Thor suggested and Loki considered his options. He could go back to the room where he would be safe from any potential attempts on his life. Yet he would be alone and his mind would be open to attacks from his inner demons. Or he could stay here, having Thor close to him, but it would mean sleeping on a sofa surrounded by his enemies.

Yet Loki knew that he had already made the decision. Somehow, it seemed easier to deal with the potential enemies which he could at least see around him, rather than those lurking in his mind and attacking him when he was the most vulnerable.

"I'll stay here." Loki said when Stark was coming back with a carefully folded white t-shirt.

"This should suit you." Tony said with a suspicious smile while giving the t-shirt to Loki. He didn't stay to see Loki's reaction and immediately moved to the kitchen in which Bruce began to search for a cookbook.

"I'll be right over there." Thor said and when Loki nodded, he quickly moved towards the cooking area. It was quite obvious that the God of Thunder was desperate for sustenance.

And so Loki was left in the living room with Steve. The soldier eyed carefully the t-shirt which Loki unfolded. When the God of Mischief saw the t-shirt, he wanted to punch Stark in the face.

It was a simple, white t-shirt with V-neck. However, it had a little black silhouette of a lion cub which was resting upon a sign **Waiting to be the king**.

Loki frowned, but put the t-shirt on anyway.

When Steve saw the t-shirt on Loki, he began to laugh. He was happy that Natasha recommended him to watch the Lion King.

* * *

 **In the next chapter, there will be some Loki and Steve bonding. Can anyone guess what/who they will be bonding over?**

 **Hint: It was mentioned in this chapter ;)**


	16. Chapter XV - Mind Control

**Important: There were some issues with the previous chapter and the notification was not sent to the story followers. So make sure you read the previous chapter before starting this one. Enjoy ;)**

* * *

"Is this some inside joke?" Loki asked when he got too annoyed with Steve's burst of laughter.

"Kind of. There is this film about a little lion cub born into the lion royal family. He is to become the king after his father, but his evil, envious uncle murders his father and then banishes the little lion away. So he's waiting all the time to come back to defeat his uncle, the usurper, and assume his rightful position as the king of all the animals." Steve began to explain the plot to the surprisingly carefully listening young god.

"How come they let the uncle usurp the throne in the meantime? I suspect that the animals would not take kindly to a king who had murdered his predecessor." Loki commented, fully aware of the irony.

"No one knew it was the uncle who murdered the king. He concealed it." Steve explained. In a way, it was nice to be able to explicate the wonders of the 21st century Earth to someone even less familiar with them than he was.

"That sounds practical." Loki mumbled. When Steve gave him a suspicious look, the God of Mischief rather turned the conversation around. "Do you have a painting of this film-thing?"

"I think we should be able to find some in Tony's laptop. I will try to take a look." Steve said and reached for one of Tony's portable computers. He googled _the Lion King_ and then turned the screen in Loki's direction.

Loki had to smirk sadly when he saw the pictures. There was a beautiful, joyous family. The father obviously occupied the supreme position, so his every word would be followed as law. The mother would sit there while looking at everyone tenderly. The lion cub, the straightforward choice for the future king, was sitting under his father's protection, looking as his younger copy.

The evil uncle was positioned a bit outside the true royal family. His body was less muscular and leaner than the king's. His mane wasn't in the colour of sun as the king's; it was threateningly dark.

Loki decided that he didn't like this film.

"You don't like it." Steve commented. For the first time since his conversation with the would-be-conqueror-of-Earth started, he actually wondered how and why he was chatting with the tricking god.

"No, not particularly." Loki responded. He was saved from having to elaborate on his answer by Thor coming back from the kitchen.

"Loki. You should rest. Why aren't you lying down?" Thor asked while holding a big bowl with some substance in it. Then the Thunderer noticed Loki's t-shirt.

"Stark gave it to me." Loki said before Thor had any chance to remark anything. "Apparently, it comes from some film if you know what exactly that is."

"Yes. Jane showed me some." Thor answered. He was trying to hide his amusement, but he knew he was failing miserably.

"Of course." Loki rolled his eyes. Thor and his women.

"Anyway, you were to lay down. Why are you still sitting?" Thor scolded Loki.

"I was putting the t-shirt on. You can't do it that well when you are lying. Especially not when your shoulder is a bloody mess." Loki wondered why he always needed to react sarcastically when Thor approached him. He supposed it was a defence mechanism of some sort.

"Well, the t-shirt is now on so lay down." Thor was losing patience rather quickly.

"Is that an order, your majesty?" The younger brother challenged immediately.

"No. I know very well that had I given you an order, you'd do everything in your power to do the exact opposite."

"You're not as stupid as you seem. Which is not that difficult to achieve actually."

"Loki, please. Can you lie down?" Thor articulated each word carefully.

Loki sighed. Theatrically, he took the most comfortably looking pillow and placed it against the armrest. Then he carefully laid himself down on his back. He winced and bit his lips. Despite Bruce's bandaging, it still hurt him to move. Once he was lying comfortably, he gave Thor a challenging look.

The older brother sighed both in annoyance and satisfaction. He put the bowl on the coffee table and then he went to the other side of the sofa. Loki was following him with his eyes all the time.

Thor took a blanket crumpled at the end of the sofa and spread it out. Then he laid it out over his brother up to his chin. Loki was looking at Thor curiously for the whole time.

"I think you should sleep, little brother." The blonde god winked at Loki while picking up his bowl to move back to the kitchen area.

"Yes, mum." Loki replied sarcastically.

"I will take this as the biggest compliment you have ever given me." Thor shouted back and continued towards the kitchen without another word.

His brother's comment made Loki freeze in spot.

It was the truth.

He may have spoken with irony, but the mere idea of his mind connecting Thor to Frigga was a huge compliment to the Thunderer. It showed that his brother's little caring gestures reminded Loki of how his mother would treat him.

Loki's eyes watered involuntarily. This whole situation was so unreal. He had secretly hoped that if he came back to Thor's spaceship after the destruction of Asgard, his brother would have appreciated his role in saving the Asgardians and they could go back to the time when they thought the world of each other.

Yet even in his wildest dreams, Loki wouldn't have imagined the transition to be so quick.

Their falling out may have been hiding under the surface for centuries, but the real fight happened out of blue. Why couldn't reconciliation happen that way too?

Also, Loki had to remind himself that it wasn't that easy. Since coming to Midgard, the younger god suffered a great deal of misfortune which may have moved the Thunderer's heart a bit.

"Are you ok?" The soldier's voice brought Loki back into the room.

The Trickster blinked quickly a few times. "Why would you care?"

"You remind me of someone." Steve mumbled sooner than he could stop himself.

Loki raised his eyebrow. "Did you have to battle some particularly evil and sticky enemy of yours?" The hint of irony was back in to protect the trickster from hearing that he probably reminded the soldier of some villain personality from his time.

"You saw yourself in the lion's uncle, didn't you? That's why you didn't want to keep looking at that picture." Steve changed the subject unexpectedly and caught the mischievous god off guard.

"No." Loki answered firmly after a pause. His tone of voice was very convincing, as would be expected from the God of Mischief. Yet Steve knew he was lying.

"You didn't answer my question." Loki continued reluctantly after another pause. He was quite curious to discover more about the soldier. Also, by some miracle, he was having a civilised conversation with a normal person who wasn't sneering upon him or wasn't afraid of him. That was quite a nice change.

"Who do I remind you of?"

Steve looked Loki, who was lying on the sofa covered by the blanket up to his chin, in the eyes. He saw no evil animosity in them, only simple curiosity.

"His name is Bucky." Steve answered slowly. When there was no recognition visible in Loki's features, Steve took the courage to continue. "He is my best friend."

"I remind you of your best friend?" Loki stated incredulously. None of that made any sense to him.

"In some ways. Also physically. Bucky has these wild, untamed black hair as well." Steve smiled when remembering the face of his friend who has finally recognised him after all these years.

Loki was curious to know more, but he saw that Steve was in deep thoughts and so he wouldn't interrupt him. Instead, he waited for the soldier to get ready to speak up again. Loki sensed that there was some issue with the friend. There must have been. Loki was the definition of issues so he would have hardly reminded the soldier of his friend have their relationship been flawless.

"You know, Bucky would probably also see himself in the lion's uncle by now. It was not always the case." Steve began saying. Loki didn't bother correcting him that the analogy was wrong because he saw no connection between himself and some stupid animals.

Steve seemed to be struggling with himself whether to continue talking or not. He longed to talk about Bucky with someone who wasn't involved with the whole mess. He could possibly talk to Thor, but he wasn't sure that the God of Thunder would fully understand what he was trying to say. Well, maybe he would get it better than anyone. But right now, Steve wanted to talk to a person who may understand Bucky more than his friends could.

In the end, it all got to the point whether he trusted Loki enough to confide in him. Steve knew that he didn't; yet seeing the god lying on the sofa covered in bandages, Loki really didn't seem to be much of the threat. Especially considering that Fury was coming in the evening. By that time, there should be more light on Loki's actions. Steve suspected that if Fury discovers that Loki's actually been working for some of their enemies against Thor, he will probably throw him into the deepest cell in SHIELD's possession. However, being a witness to how Loki interacted with Thor, seeing the spark in his eyes when his brother returned a joke or the sentiment when the Thunderer showed that he truly cared about Loki's well-being, Steve doubted that.

Anyway, it shouldn't do any harm to tell Loki about Bucky.

"We were always best friends. Me and Buck. We would protect each other. Bucky would help me out when my stubbornness got me into trouble. We could rely on each other. He was like a brother to me. No. He is like a brother to me." Steve breathed out deeply. "And then the war came. Bucky went to the war. He had no idea what he was getting himself into. And then I followed him…in my new enhanced and famous version. When Bucky saw me for the first time, he didn't care. Nothing changed for him. It didn't matter to him whether I was weak and defenceless nuisance or strong super soldier. He would never use me neither to raise his ego nor his social status. He was my friend and that was it." Steve found it difficult to continue and so he stopped for a moment and closed his eyes to calm himself down. He didn't expect to hear the familiar voice.

"When me and Thor were young, we would always do everything together. We loved spending time with each other. But as we were getting older…something changed. It didn't seem genuine anymore. Thor would use me to raise his ego and I him to raise my status. I hated Thor so much for always letting me to be in his shadow. Always taking the spotlight for himself. But I never stopped loving him as a brother. I suppose that only recently I understood that he never did it on purpose. He just…never thought that far. Which is hard to blame him for because our father, I mean Thor's father, encouraged him to do so. You never met Odin...he was that type of person who deep down you know is malevolent and unpleasant, but you still finding yourself being desperate for his affection and approval. Had I been the golden child, I would probably have behaved like Thor did, letting my brother stay forgotten in the shadow, being grateful to be able to please the Allfather."

Loki paused for a moment.

"If you and your friend could always selflessly rely on each other, then I think you found something very unique. It means that you would never be alone. It is horrifying to be truly alone, convinced that no one cares whether you live or die." Loki felt like letting the burden off his shoulders. He didn't fully understand how come he was able to talk with the soldier about such personal topics. Maybe it was his calm demeanour or the fact that Loki was comfortably wrapped in a blanket. Maybe, only maybe, it had something to do with his mother visiting him when he passed out while Thor was tending to his shoulder.

 _Be happy._

That's what Frigga told him.

"You're probably right." Steve answered the god who was staring at the ceiling. "Some people are impossible to please and one must understand that they are not worth wasting one's effort on." Steve thought about the Accords and the bone of contention they brought amongst his friends.

"But then Bucky got captured. I managed to get him out, but I didn't know that they had already messed up with his mind. We would…we would go to a mission together. Everything seemed fine. And then it all went terribly wrong and Bucky found himself hanging from a train above a deep valley. I was trying to pull him back. He extended his arm. I almost got him. But almost wasn't good enough. The door broke, and I saw Bucky falling into the indefinite space under us. The nothingness consumed him. I never dared to hope to see him again."

 _No, Loki._

"But you did see him again."

"I would always imagine seeing Bucky. But when I truly did, I wasn't prepared for it. As I said, they messed with his mind. They turned him into a killing monster. They called him the Winter Soldier. My friend, whom I always known as strong yet tender, wouldn't recognise me. In fact, I could hardly recognise him as well. He would kill without remorse. He would set things on fire. Only later did I understand that he wasn't in control of himself." Steve continued uneasily.

Loki wondered whether this was how Thor felt when he was forced to watch how his brother was attacking Midgard.

"But Bucky did fight the mind compulsion. We battled together against a man who tried to tear us apart. Yet in the end, Buck understood that he couldn't rely on his mind and so he let himself be literally frozen until I could find a way to break him free from the influence. I don't know how to do that and so my friend is as good as dead now." Steve finished. "I can't talk about this with anyone. I can't even let anyone know Bucky's location."

"Why not? I am sure your…friends would have helped you." Loki didn't understand; didn't the Avengers always fight for the good together?

Steve eyed Loki seriously and the god could see the anguish in the soldier's eyes.

"Bucky killed Tony's parents."

"What?" Loki found himself saying.

"He didn't know what he was doing. Or he was but he wasn't doing it voluntarily. I don't know. It is just so messed up." Steve hid his face in his hands. "I can't hate Bucky for what he did. He wasn't himself. But I know that Tony cannot just forgive what happened. We declared truce for now and we are trying to be friends again, but I would never tell him where Bucky is. I am afraid he would just get there and kill him."

For a moment, neither Steve nor Loki spoke; both lost deeply in their own thoughts.

"Your friend shouldn't remind you of me. He is nothing like me." Loki whispered. Steve looked up sharply.

"What do you mean?" He asked Loki in offensive manner.

"You said they compelled his mind. And so Bucky rather than posing a danger let himself be disposed of. Not many people could do that. He seems to be really brave." Loki said seriously.

"Some would chose the easy way out. He didn't. I think you can be proud of him."

"Why did you say that Bucky was nothing like you?" Steve was perceptive and attentive, he wouldn't let the god slip out that easily.

"Am I not the one messing with people's minds?" Loki answered after a moment.

"I don't know." Steve said only. Loki shivered uncomfortably.

"You should probably get some rest." Steve commented after a moment and got up.

"Why are you so kind to me? I don't get it." Loki said, still staring at the ceiling. He couldn't stop the words coming out of his mind.

"Kind?" Steve wrinkled his brow.

"When we came into the flat…you attacked neither me nor Thor. And now you talked to me."

"That is not kind. It's just…normal."

"I suppose that depends on how you've been treated." Loki whispered, half-hoping that Steve didn't hear him.

"As I said, Loki, you remind me of my friend." Steve said and walked away.

Loki's head was full of thoughts but fortunately, the weariness soon overcame him, and the god fell into a surprisingly peacefully slumber.

…

"Should I wake him up? Thor contemplated loudly.

The food was finally ready, and the God of Thunder wanted his brother to get stronger.

"Let him sleep, Thor. I think he needs to rest." Bruce commented, and Thor decided to follow the doctor's advice.

Meanwhile, the Avengers sat around the table to enjoy the lasagne that they managed to cook.

"Earlier, you were talking with my brother." Thor said while Bruce handed everyone the plates with the warm food. He was aching to talk to Steve about the moment but didn't know how to bring it up.

"Yes. It wasn't anything important." Steve dismissed the topic. Thor was determined to ask Loki more about it when his brother wakes up.

…

After the meal, the Avengers spread around the building. Tony went to his lab to work on some new prototypes. Steve decided to read some 21st century literature and Bruce, still tired from all the adventures on Sakaar and Asgard, went to take a nap.

Thor moved to the living room to sit on the sofa facing the one on which his brother was resting. Loki looked so much younger with his eyes closed and the expression on his face worriless and relaxed. He shifted from his position on back to sleep onto his side, keeping his injured shoulder up. Thor smiled. Loki would always sleep on his side. When they were small and they shared chambers, Loki would often sneak into his brother's bed and fall asleep with his head on Thor's chest.

Happy that his brother seemed to be safe and undisturbed, Thor got comfortable on his sofa, determined to keep an eye on Loki to make sure that no harm would come to him.

…

"Loki, you need to wake up." Loki heard a distant voice. He mumbled annoyed and slightly shifted his position.

"Brother, please." The God of Mischief heard the voice more clearly now. When he felt a hand touching him, he woke up instantly and instinctively flinched. He shot up into a sitting position, his head dizzy and his mind unfocused. Distantly, he understood that it was dark behind the windows.

"We start in five minutes." A cold, self-confident male voice spoke.

Loki recognised the voice immediately.

He instantly diverted his gaze in the direction of the voice. His eye pupils widened in visceral fear; his hands turned into fists and grabbed the blanket as if in an attempt to hide himself from the man standing in front of him.

The evening has come.

Fury was there.

The interrogation could begin.

Where was Thor?

Where were the Avengers?


	17. Chapter XVI - Let's Begin

"Loki? I am right over here." Thor said, noticing his brother's distress. He really should have woken him up sooner, but Fury appeared in the tower out of blue.

Loki's attention shifted to Thor who was kneeling on the ground next to the sofa. Behind him the three present Avengers, Steve, Bruce and Tony, were sitting on the opposite couch. The expressions on their faces were those of grim suspense.

Loki's gaze went back to Fury. The Director looked as he always did; he was wearing all black outfit and the emblematic eye patch. His remaining eye was scrutinizing Loki with contempt and scorn. Loki could swear that having only one eye made people seem more menacing and deadly, at least towards him. The god only hoped that Thor would be an exception.

Behind the Director, there was a team of eight SHIELD agents standing two steps behind Fury. Loki didn't fail to notice that they were all armed.

Loki's heart began to beat unnaturally quickly. He thought that the only reason why he wasn't shivering in fear yet was because he had just been woken up and his mind couldn't process the whole nightmare unfolding upon him. And so Loki was just sitting on the sofa with his legs extended in front of him under the blanket, unable to move any muscle in his body.

"Brother?" Thor's upset voice reached the broken god, but Loki found himself incapable of responding in any way. It was as if some incapacitating curse was put on him to dull all his senses, except for fear.

Thor wasn't going to wait for his little brother to break down in front of those people who harmed him in such merciless manner. The Thunderer would stand up and sit next to his brother to show the SHIELD that messing with Loki meant messing with him.

Yet when Thor sat next to Loki and brought his big arm around his brother's shoulder, the younger god flinched.

Thor didn't know whether it was his wrongdoing. Maybe, as Tony said when Loki came undone earlier that day, Thor shouldn't try to touch him when his brother was clearly experiencing some form of shock. To Thor, however, it always felt so natural to express his support in gestures such as hugs, affectionate pats on the back, or holding his brother by the nape to show him that he would always have his back.

Once again, Thor found himself in desperate need to talk with either mother or Jane. He was more than grateful that he was recently able to understand his brother's motives a bit better, and that he finally started to ask questions before judging instantly, but Thor was aware that empathy was never his strong point. Loki needed someone such as Frigga, someone who could see through the complex net of lies which the God of Mischief deep down hoped someone would be able to untangle.

"It's okay, Loki." Thor said gently, finding the words innocuous enough to prevent causing Loki any further distress.

Finally, Loki's brain seemed to kick in. He abruptly turned towards his brother and without thinking shook his arm off his shoulders. He grimaced when his hasty movement made Thor's elbow come into contact with his injured shoulder.

"I don't need your help, Thor." Loki spoke, his voice dry and emotionless.

"Don't build these walls again, brother." Thor answered. He understood what Loki was trying to do. Thor would always take Loki's remarks personally and get angry at his brother. In the end, Thor was only trying to help, and Loki was being very unappreciative of the fact. Those interactions ended up in Thor smashing Loki's face more than once. Yet Thor knew better now; or at least he hoped so. He understood that Loki said so not to harm Thor but to protect himself against further humiliation.

One quick glance at his brother made Thor recognise that he did indeed say the right thing. The blank look in Loki's eyes was replaced by hurt and regret. Thor didn't enjoy seeing such negative emotions which mirrored the feelings in his brother's mind, but at least there were emotions. It was a start.

Both brothers raised their heads when Fury went to sit next to the Avengers on the opposite sofa. The agents followed their Director as shadows and positioned themselves behind the couch. They looked identical; anonymous black suits, black sunglasses and black caps. Steve briefly wondered since when SHIELD agents wore caps but didn't pay them much attention.

"Yeah. It's definitely not creepy to have some random armed people standing behind my back." Tony's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Fury didn't mind him any attention.

"What happened to his shoulder?" The Director asked instead in a tone suggesting that Loki was his property and he should have been informed about the action beforehand. Also, it was obviously beneath him to talk about Loki as if he was actually in the room.

"Barton shot him." Steve was as concise as possible.

"Interesting." Fury commented, unable and unwilling to hide the malicious sparks from lighting up his remaining eye. His mouth twisted almost invisibly, but it was enough to give his face an unpleasant aura. It felt as if he knew that Loki was shot but couldn't resist the temptation to ask anyway.

Thor remembered the conversation he held with the Director when they were holding Loki in the glass cage in the floating fortress. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

 _You think you could make Loki tell us where the Tesseract is?_

 _I do not know. Loki's mind is far afield. It's not just power he craves, it's vengeance, upon me. There's no pain would prise his need from him._

 _A lot of guys think that. Until the pain starts._

 _What are you asking me to do?_

 _I'm asking, what are you prepared to do?_

He should have known. Thor truly should have known what Fury would do to Loki had he managed to get him into his hands once again. Fury was ready to torture him even before the whole invasion unfolded; no wonders that he did so when he took his brother now.

"Here is how it is going to go. I will…" Fury began confidently, but surprisingly, Loki cut him off.

"No." The young god said. His tone was vulnerable yet stable. Somehow, Loki managed to lift his eyes and meet the Director's eye.

"Excuse me?" Fury hissed angrily.

"I said no." The years of training were paying off. Thor may have pointed out that Loki was only the God of Mischief, not lies, but that didn't mean that Loki couldn't be a good actor when it suited him and when he managed to put himself at least partially together.

"There is no point in you asking me questions and me answering them." Loki said, his voice unnervingly calm.

"That is what is implied by interrogation. If you refuse to cooperate…" Fury's hand was moving in the direction of his gun. Thor noticed.

"Fury." Thor spoke with clearly audible threat.

"Loki?" The Thunderer continued towards his brother now, the unspoken question obvious in Thor's questioning tone.

 _What are you doing?_

 _You said you would cooperate._

"There is no point in your idea of interrogation because you wouldn't believe me anyway. I am the God of Mischief, the Master of Lies. I can lie to your face and you would never know. Alternatively, I may be telling you the whole truth and you would never believe me either. There is no point." Loki finished, still keeping eye contact with Fury.

"You may be right. You can't be trusted. And so the only solution…" Fury was once again interrupted.

"The only solution is to tell you what you want to hear in such a way that you can be certain that I am not lying." Loki breathed out, the insecurity creeping into his voice.

He didn't like what he was about to do. Yet he was tired of running and unless he wished to spend the rest of his days in some cesspit of the universe hoping that Thanos would not find him, he had to do this.

"You want to know about my reasons for attacking your planet." Loki said.

"Mainly I wish to protect the Earth from any further harm. So yes, this can help all of us to determine to what extent we can trust you. But mainly, I have this inner feeling that you know about a threat that is coming to Earth as we speak. Its name is Thanos." Fury eyed Loki curiously.

Loki's face lost instantly any colour.

Someone has spoken his name aloud.

There was no way back.

"Thor, can you contact the Valkyrie?" He asked his brother.

The sooner this was over, the better.

"What, why?" Thor was confused.

"Please, just do it." Loki was half-begging. It was essential for his plan that Thor did what told.

"Brother, trust me." Loki said as sincerely as he could. Ironically, Loki found it easier to shift his tone of voice to fit the emotions he tried to convey if the emotions were lies, not the truth.

Thor nodded.

"Er…Banner?" Thor turned his attention towards the scientist. "Can we contact the Asgardian settlement?" He hoped to get the answer that there was a faster way than sending a raven.

"They are in Norway. I can call the assisting SHIELD agents there, if the concerned here explains why exactly is contacting this Valkyrie essential for our business here." Fury's tone was dark, but a hint of curiosity was there.

Before Loki could say anything, he was cut out by a familiar voice.

"That won't be necessary. Give me a minute."

Everyone's head turned at the sound. All they could see was a disappearing figure of Doctor Strange.

"What? How long was he here?" Tony was beyond puzzled now. "Does this guy just come into _my_ tower as he pleases?"

"Everyone seems to be coming to your tower as they please, Stark." Loki voiced his answer before he could stop himself. The remark seemed natural for the silver tongue, yet he froze when he understood that he was not in Asgard before it all went to hell. He was amongst his enemies. He had to be more careful.

Yet to his surprise, Stark chuckled with smirk.

"That seems to be the case, Reindeer Games."

Loki didn't answer, but his glare promised to turn Stark into a frog at the nearest opportunity.

Before anyone else had the chance to voice their opinions, Strange apparated back with the Valkyrie by his side.

She was wearing the outfit of the elite Asgardian force and her facial expression was one of complete disinterest and ignorance upon seeing the Earth's mightiest heroes.

Loki noticed that Thor blushed slightly upon seeing the girl. Did his brother develop a crush on every girl he saw?

Yet the Valkyrie seemed to have eyes for someone else in the room.

"So, here you are, Hulk." She gave Bruce a smile.

"It would seem so." Bruce answered, for the first time sensing a hint of pride upon confirming his connection with the green beast.

"I wonder what other secrets you hide." She raised her eyebrows in curiosity.

One of the agents behind the couch loudly shifted his feet.

"Am I missing something?" Tony asked, watching the whole exchange. After a moment, he smiled to himself.

"You just like strong women, don't you Bruce. Oh, if only Natasha was here to see it, she would be truly…" Yet before he managed to finish the idea, he felt a cold object on his neck.

Two cold blades, actually.

"Proceed with caution, Mr Witty. You may lose the tongue of yours if you're not careful." The Valkyrie whispered and eyed the dagger which she was not holding with curiosity. She followed the hand of the person in black who was holding it. Apparently, Stark's remark didn't anger only her, but also one of the agents standing behind the sofa.

"Nat." A different agent said and one of the knives was removed from Stark's neck.

After giving Stark a warning glare, the Valkyrie removed her dagger as well.

Everyone's attention turned to the agents.

Two of them slowly removed their caps and glasses.

It was Natasha and Clint.

"What the…" Tony began but stopped himself before someone tried to cut his throat again. He seriously considered wearing his Iron Man suits at home since now. Only Pepper's face, which appeared in front of his eyes had he tried this, stopped him from developing the idea futher.

"You didn't think we would miss this, would you?" Natasha said emotionlessly, completely ignoring the previous conversation considering Bruce.

"Clint? How are you?" Steve asked his friend. He may have been angry at the Archer, but he hoped he was fine nevertheless.

"Fine." Clint answered abruptly, his sight shooting at Loki.

"Why am I here exactly?" The Valkyrie interrupted the situation impatiently. "I have somewhere to be, Your Majesty." She gave a warning look to Thor.

"May I offer you something to drink?" Tony asked, slightly captivated by the confident woman in front of him.

"Finally someone sensible. Bring your bottles."

"Bottles?" Tony questioned silently but stood up and went to the kitchen anyway.

"My brother needs you." Thor answered her original question.

"And why is that?" She gave Loki a questioning look.

Loki sighed, but more in annoyance than fear. The room was getting crowded and he enjoyed that the attention was not on him for a while.

"I just need you to tell them what happened when we had the fight on Sakaar. Then this…um…pretending-to-be-a-sorcerer can bring you back." Loki said matter-of-factly.

Strange was just standing away from everyone, ignoring Loki's comment.

Somehow, Loki was slowly getting the idea that it could be quite useful to have this man as a friend. Two sorcerers going at it. They could make quite a team.

"What do you mean?" The Valkyrie questioned, and Loki's attention was turned back to presence.

"When I touched your forehead." Loki said and saw how her eyes darkened. Fortunately, Stark was back with a bottle of hard alcohol and a glass.

The Valkyrie took the bottle and ignored the glass. She finished the whole bottle before anyone could say anything. When there was no drink left, she challenged Loki with her look.

"Just tell them, please." This woman really wasn't Loki's cup of tea. In a way, she was similar to Thor. Self-confident and always stealing the attention. The God of Mischief was quickly losing patience with her.

"Somehow, he made me see my own memories. I had to relive them until the contact was broken. I couldn't stop nor alter it." She said quickly. "Is it all?"

"Yes." Loki said abruptly to be rid of her.

"It was pleasure." And with a quick glance to Strange, they both disappeared from the room. Loki noted that even the overly-confident sorcerer couldn't resist her commanding tone.

The prince was quite glad that she was with his people in this Norway. She would be as good as Thor to prevent any harm coming onto the Asgardians.

"The point of this was…" Fury reminded everyone that he was the important person in the room. He lost the hold of the situation and he didn't enjoy that.

"You heard her." Loki tried to be as concise as possible. "I can make people relive their memories. Once the process starts, it cannot be stopped unless the contact is broken. As she said, she couldn't stop it nor alter the memories. I can make the same thing to myself. I will show you what happened before I came down onto this planet which will also conveniently answer your question about my knowledge about…Thanos." Loki presented his plan.

Everyone was quiet for a moment.

"Can you truly do that, brother?" Thor asked softly.

"Yes. I wanted the Valkyrie to come here so you could be sure that I wasn't lying or making these memories up. That would be impossible." Loki said. In a way, he wanted them to reject his plan. To call him bluffing. Yet he knew that they have seen the charm of the Valkyrie and they were aware that no one would be able to persuade her to lie in anyone's benefit.

"Let's do that." Fury said.

Loki's forehead immediately covered in sweat.

He would have to do it know.

"I need everyone who wishes to witness the process to hold hands. There needs to be physical contact." Loki tried to find comfort in giving orders to the heroes and his tormentors.

It didn't come even though all of them created a human chain.

Tony sat back down on the couch and with a sarcastic smile took Fury's palm. Fury held Steve who held Bruce. Biting his lip, Banner took Natasha's hand who, perfectly hiding her emotions, went to stand in front of the couch and put her other palm into Clint's. The archer gave a challenging look to the last one who was not connected yet. Thor.

The God of Thunder bit his disgust and took the Archer by the hand. Then he focused his attention to Loki.

"Give me your hand, brother." Loki said in small voice. Closer he was to making his plan happen, the more he was sure that it was a terrible, terrible idea.

Without hesitation, Thor slipped his hand in his brother's waiting palm. He felt that Loki's hand was deadly cold. He squeezed it, wishing he could give his brother some of his strength.

Everyone was waiting in anticipation.

Thor's heart was beating wildly. He wanted to know for ages what happened to his little brother in the Void. Yet now when he was so close, and he could see Loki's distress, he was unsure whether he truly wanted to know.

Loki felt completely tense. It was as if time stopped and everything began happening in slow motion.

Loki swore to himself that he would never talk about what happen to him in the Void. Talking about it would make it more real. Now he was not only about to talk about it, he was to relive it. He was to show his most vulnerable state to all of them, including his brother, who would never let those terrible things being brought upon him.

It took Loki a lot of time and effort to break down the walls around his heart and let Thor take a brief look inside. He hoped that by the time they were finished with this, the walls wouldn't be back up.

"Thor." Loki said, his voice shaking. He couldn't stop tears forming in his eyes. When his brother's remaining eye connected with his eyes, Loki brought himself to continue.

"When this is finished, please don't leave me alone no matter how much I push you away. Unless you will be too disgusted with me to ever try to talk to me again."

Not giving Thor a chance to reply, Loki once again let go.

He let go of the presence and soon, all of those connected to the human chain were falling in the Void.

It was dark and quiet.

Nothing to scare the superheroes.

Yet soon a feeling of uneasiness seized them.

The uneasiness turned to panic.

They were not just witnessing the visual side of the memories.

They were also witnessing the raw emotions Loki was feeling in the Void.

Soon, their eye adjusted to the only thing they could sense and see in the omnipresent darkness.

It was Loki. Only his hair was much shorter.

He was screaming.

* * *

 **Let me know what you think. The next chapter won't be an easy read. Definitely not for Loki.**

* * *

 **The rumination that Thor experienced that contained the quotes from the Avengers about the possibility of torturing the truth out of Loki was essential for this story. During the early chapters, some of you mentioned in your reviews that you never saw Fury as an evil character. I must agree with you yet this little exchange he had with Thor never truly left my mind and I shaped Fury's character in this story according to these few lines from the film. One mystery less ;)**


	18. Chapter XVII - The Interrogation Part I

It is bizzare to imagine nothingness. The brains of anyone within the Nine Realms function on the basis of materialising the already known concepts, even when coming up with something new.

And so even when one tries to think of nothingness, he gives it some shape. It may be imagined as whiteness, as vacuum or as the air made up from oxygen, carbon dioxide and other gases…the possibilities are endless.

Yet nothingness is just nothing.

Only that in this concrete case, the nothingness was accompanied by complete, black darkness.

People of Asgard used to say that the black colour does not truly exist. Every shade of black that could be produced or grew somewhere on their planet was some approximation of the idea of _black_ they had inside their minds.

That's because they have never been in the Void.

In the Void, the nothingness was just nothing.

The black was just black.

Yet they could see Loki clearly.

Was it the memory aspect?

They didn't know.

They didn't care.

They were swallowed in the emotions and thoughts that Thor, to his horror, recognised to be his brother's.

…

The utter panic.

What is happening?

Loki fully expected to die when he let go of the Gungnir. Yet he found himself being surrounded by complete darkness while his brain was still fully functioning.

Was this Hell?

It definitely wasn't Valhalla.

Yet instinctively, Loki knew that he has moved on to neither Valhalla, nor Hell. Since he let go and Thor's panicked face disappeared from his vision, all he could see was the never-ending darkness. It was even more scary considering that Loki had no idea where up or down was. He found himself being absorbed in something he couldn't name. The lack of knowledge was an agony for the God of Mischief. Loki has always praised himself for being knowledgeable and witty. Now all his priced senses were rendered useless. There was no one he could talk to so that he could get himself from this situation.

The only so-called relief for the haunted god was that he was so swallowed by the nothingness and the feeling of physical panic that he did not really think about what had happened on Asgard. Loki was falling. Probably. In fact, it was difficult to tell as there was no wind or air to assess the situation. Anyway, the distress of his body floating in the daunting space didn't leave much place for the raven-god to think about what had happened. Only rarely has a thought hit Loki's mind like a ray of lightning.

Odin's disapproval face as he told Loki _the no._

 _The no_ that symbolised much more.

Odin's face which didn't betray any emotions when everything finally began to make sense to Loki. The most terrible kind of sense.

 _It all makes sense now._

Odin has always favoured Thor.

Loki spent hours all alone, contemplating what he could do to make his father happy.

Why couldn't his father love him as he loved his brother?

Loki understood why the rest of Asgard preferred Thor over him; the Wielder of Mjolnir embodied everything that was treasured in Asgard. Power, the raw physical power and courage. Loki embodied qualities that Frigga kept persuading him were much more important. Intelligence, strategical thinking and perceptiveness. Yet no one cared about those. No one would compliment Loki's abilities the way they praised Thor's. No one would look at Loki's genius brain and be astonished by the way it functioned in the most unusual of ways similarly to how they stared at Thor's biceps.

Men would ask Thor how he did it. Women would giggle and ask to touch them.

The darkness again.

Loki welcomed it.

For a second.

Then he hated it.

Wished for the agonising thoughts to come back.

To keep his mind occupied.

He couldn't go like this anymore.

Why couldn't he simply die?

Mortals would be definitely dead by now.

Why is it so difficult to kill an Asgardian?

Wrong.

Why is it so difficult to kill a Frost Giant?

Maybe monsters don't deserve to die.

Why is the darkness so overwhelming?

Why…

Out of blue, Loki's vision was blinded by an invasion of light. He closed his eyes in a desperate attempt to block the piercing lightness out and so he couldn't notice the planet he landed on.

Loki saw the fateful planet for the first time now with the Avengers.

It was a hostile, inhospitable environment. The skies were dark grey, and no one could tell for sure where they ended and the Void began. The surface was barren and empty or covered in little, brick houses. All of them looked alike. They were big enough to host only one small room, and their windows embodied only tiny, dark holes. Above them, there was standing a castle.

Had one been colour blind, he could say that the palace was a true copy of Odin's palace on Asgard. It was huge and majestic, sending a clear message to the subjects that their master is not to be meddled with. There were warrior statues everywhere depicting the glorious victories that the master of the palace and the planet had achieved.

Only the palace was not shiny and gold as the one on Asgard.

This one was the mixture of unkind grey and radiating red.

Tapestries were hanging from the huge windows. Each of the windows looked like a little Void. The tapestries, as Thor noticed to his disgust, portrayed victories similar to the ones that were hidden in the throne room on Asgard; those that he was oblivious to until they were exposed by Hela.

Where Hela had an army of dead soldiers, the master of the palace had disgusting, scaly creatures that all the Avengers recognised as the Chitauri. Where Hela had Fenrir, he had a massive, metal looking monster. Where there was Hela riding her werewolf, there was a green woman walking beside him.

Where there was Odin, the conqueror of the world, the mastermind behind the operation, there was him. The master.

He was bigger than the rest of them. His features were cuboid-like. He would look like a robot, but no robot could give such menacing, revolting expression. He was wearing golden armour as the one Odin used to wear. But no cape. His skin was somewhere between dark blue and dark pink, creating a monster gruesome to look at. He was standing above them, the natural leader that would not be questioned.

"Thanos." Fury whispered, observing the tapestries as the rest of them.

Loki didn't see the tapestries. Nor the palace. Nor the pathetic little town underneath it. He wasn't even sure how it was possible that they were able to witness the planet he landed on now; maybe it was because later on, he would have the _pleasure_ of discovering the cesspit of the universe. He wasn't sure. He just trusted his magic hoping that this dive would be over soon.

Suddenly, the attention of the Avengers was turned back to the falling figure of Loki and once again, the group found itself being swallowed in the emotions of the broken god.

None of them was ready for the collision.

The falling Loki never opened his eyes. He had no idea what was coming.

All he knew was that out of nothing, the black disappeared and was replaced by a light so bright that his eyes, too used to the darkness now, were unable to process it.

And so he didn't see the ground that was approaching too fast.

The pain of the collision was unbearable. Loki screamed and for the first time in infinity he was able to hear his own, hoarse, desperate voice.

Loki screamed his lungs out.

In hindsight, he wished he wouldn't.

His screams have attracted the attention of the Chitauri.

Loki was lying on the dirty ground.

The Chitauri were crawling out of their brick houses, ready to devour the victim that has so ungracefully landed on their territory.

Loki didn't know.

All he could feel, hear, see, smell or touch was pain, his own screams, the darkness of his tightly closed eyes, his blood and the coarse ground covered by his blood.

For some time, everything was a blur of pain.

Then, unfortunately, Loki's mind began to kick in and he was slowly beginning to be aware of his injured state.

He also understood that he was no longer falling.

He should open his eyes.

He did so.

At first, he was blinded by the light despite its dimness. When his sight adjusted to the new reality, Loki understood to be lying on the ground of some unknown entity. There was nothing around him, just a plain surface looking like the Midgardian Moon. The skies above him were grey.

The planet he found himself on looked as if someone has sucked the life out of it.

Loki was in agony. He must have broken each of his bones when his body collided with the hard ground. His chest was in immense pain and even the slightest movement of his tiny fingers shot pain through his body. He was weakly aware that he was lying in the puddle of his own blood.

The God of Mischief didn't have enough strength to form a coherent plan or assertion of the situation, but his magic began the healing process on its own. Loki knew that it would take a long time until he could stand up, but he was grateful for his body being able to endure so much and heal itself. He just wished he could be unconscious.

Loki fully intended not to move or do anything up to the moment he was healed. Then, he had no idea.

He did let go in order not to feel anything anymore.

What was he supposed to do now?

Could Heimdall see him?

In the end, he must be in some unknown part of the universe in the Void.

All Loki could remember about the Void was Frigga's patient voice explaining his curious little self that the Void was just the Void.

 _I swear there is nothing in there, love. Just darkness._

What would Frigga think about him now?

The expression of his mother's face when Thor burst into the chamber appeared in front of Loki's eyes.

 _Why don't you tell her?_

 _How you sent the Destroyer to kill our friends, to kill me?_

Your friends, Thor.

I don't have friends.

I never did.

And your friends betrayed me at the nearest opportunity.

I haven't asked to be the king. They showed Gungnir into my hands. Frigga said that I should make our father proud.

Your friends betrayed me. They might have been in the right to do so, had they been able to see into my mind. Yet they hadn't. And they betrayed me nevertheless, expecting my intentions to be rotten.

Loki's train of thoughts was distracted by a sound reminding of cracking seashells.

He tried to turn his head to follow the direction of the sound, but he was too injured and exhausted to do so.

And so he just waited, terrified of what may be coming.

What kind of creatures would choose the Void as their home?

Look at Jotunheim.

The ugly, empty, cultureless planet was home to the Frost Giants, the race of monsters to be slain.

Loki didn't want to even imagine what creatures could occupy this planet, a place that made Jotunheim look like a paradise.

He was almost relieved when a group of individuals appeared in front of him. The ignorance was killing him.

Soon, he would understand that it was a blissful ignorance.

When Loki's pupils, surrounded by the beautiful emerald iris, finally focused on the sight in front of him, his heart began beating rapidly fast.

The creatures seemed hideous and there was an uncountable number of them. They encircled Loki's lying body from all sides. They weren't carrying any weapons, but Loki was sure they weren't in any need of them.

They stood for dark, uneven, humanoid creatures unlike any Loki has ever seen. They seemed to be in symbiosis with the environment around them. It was impossible to tell whether they sucked the life out of the planet, or if the planet sucked the life out of them.

In any way, it was more than obvious that to these creatures, the ideas such as compassion, empathy or love were completely foreign. All they knew was the hardships of the hostile place, the infliction of pain and service to a creature even more odious than they were.

"Who are you?" One of them spoke, clearly addressing Loki.

Loki focused all his energy upon getting at least something out of himself, his chest burning in process.

"Hurts." The Trickster hissed.

The one Loki would soon recognise to be The Other, moved the corners of his mouth up in a caricature of a smile that would make anyone's joy flee.

"You will long for something as sweet as pain. You can take him." The Other commanded and made a step back.

Loki sensed the excitement amongst the creatures he would later call the Chitauri. He panicked as they crawled closer to him, ready to tear him apart.

"Stop." A deep, mechanic voice cut through the crowd.

Immediately, the Other and all the Chitauri fell on their knees, their heads lowered subserviently.

Loki breathed out.

He thought that the voice must belong to some kind of saviour of his.

Little did he know that it was the voice of what was to become his worst nightmare.

…

"I want to get out of here." Steve gasped as he observed the Chitauri standing around Loki's bloody body. The soldier's gentle heart couldn't stand the picture of pure suffering that was to surely become much worse at the hands of the one living in the sinister palace.

Yet no one heard him.

Steve, as the rest of the team including Loki and Fury, had no choice but to keep witnessing the events that Odin has never bothered to ask about.


	19. Chapter XVIII - The Interrogation II

"Look what we have here." The mechanical voice spoke again and this time, Loki's stomach was in knots.

The huge figure slowly made his way through the kneeling figures of the Chitauri. He stopped when he was standing right above Loki. His mouth was twisted into an evil smirk.

"My lord Thanos." The Other addressed the Mad Titan. "We found him lying here. He must have fallen from the Void. He seems to be a weakling. I gave the Chitauri the permission to tear him apart as they find appropriate and enjoyable."

Thanos eyed him for a moment.

Then, without any warning, he slapped The Other hard across the face.

The Other landed heavily on his side. He either didn't let his surprise show, or he was used to this kind of treatment. Without a word or sound, he put himself back to his feet. His sight obsequiously on the ground, he waited for Thanos' next move.

For a while, nothing happened.

Loki was aware of the sound of his hoarse breathing and the panic rising inside his stomach.

"Do you have any idea who this is?" The Mad Titan spoke at last.

"No, my lord." The Other took a while to answer.

"I am surrounded by imbeciles." Thanos commented but continued. "This is Loki Odinson, a prince of Asgard." He paused, thinking. "How did an Asgardian prince appear down here?" He eyed Loki without expecting him to answer. "We will get to know the truth soon enough. This is the best thing that could have happened to us." Thanos smiled, but the smile never reached his repugnant eyes.

"Take him to the dungeons under the palace. Don't kill him in the process." He commanded and turned around to go back.

"My lord?" The Other asked hesitantly.

Thanos eyed him in annoyance.

"Can he be allowed to see the journey to the palace?"

Thanos didn't answer. Instead, he crouched next to Loki.

Loki kept the eye contact with the beastly monster in front of him. He had no idea what to expect.

"Loki." Thanos addressed the god on the ground.

"Yes?" Loki whispered terrified.

Thanos smirked.

Out of blue, he brought the palm of his hand onto Loki's forehead. Immediately, such an intense pain filled the God of Mischief that before he managed to utter a scream, he had been unconscious.

Thanos stood back up.

"I don't enjoy doing your work for you. Better remember that." He eyed The Other for a while longer than necessary and then set out onto his way towards the palace.

"You heard him. Safely transport him to the dungeons. He is a valued prisoner, should any harm come to him by your hand, Thanos will make you bawl for mercy." The Other instructed and observed as two Chitauri soldiers lifted the blacked out body up and the procession began their journey towards the dungeons.

…

"What on Earth is this?" Tony was dismayed. Since the claustrophobic feeling of falling ended, Tony found himself observing a hostile planet full of creatures that made his stomach twist. He didn't want to be there as he expected the environment to trigger one of his panic attacks. He didn't even want to imagine what Loki might have been experiencing.

…

Fury tried to observe every single detail of the strange planet and its master. He was terrified of Thanos coming to attack the Earth and he was determined to learn as much as possible about the enemy in order to successfully defeat him.

…

Steve was slowly finding his courage after his little breakdown when he had felt unable to suffer through Loki's eyes any longer. Now he felt it to be his duty to witness what happened to the God of Mischief. One of the reasons for this was, in the end, to fully assess Loki's responsibility for the attack on Earth and to determine how Thor's brother should be treated now. Steve knew that to do this justly, he must fully understand what led Loki to do what he did.

The Captain has also decided that as soon as this was over, he would find Bucky and finally have a proper conversation with him. Steve didn't know how it felt to have someone inside their head, but he had an uneasy feeling that he was about to find soon enough whether he wanted to or not.

…

Thor vomited as soon he helplessly observed his brother collide with the coarse surface; Loki's body being broken into unnatural shapes. He wanted to save Loki from the hostile place and tend to his wounds, but he knew that it was too late now.

With the Chitauri and Thanos approaching, Thor was becoming more and more disgusted by his past behaviour.

Why didn't he try to talk to his brother about what had happened?

Why didn't he try to visit him?

…

Frigga was standing next to Odin, both of them observing what was happening inside the Stark Tower from their place in Valhalla. They could see the Avengers being taken into Loki's memories.

"I taught him that spell." Frigga whispered.

Odin didn't reply.

"I need to see what he is showing them." The former Queen stated, and her hands began casting the necessary spell. If she could project herself into her son's unconsciousness before, she could do it again.

The Allfather caught her wrist.

"Frigga. Don't." He said, looking at Frigga seriously.

"Why not? Don't you finally want to know what happened to our son that made him do all those terrible things? Many times I have considered forcing Loki to perform this exact spell to show me what happened, but he was so distant. Maybe I could have been more successful had I been able to physically visit him."

Odin stared at his feet. He didn't want to say what he was about to say, but it was essential for Frigga not to dive into Loki's time in the Void. He could not lose her.

"Frigga, you don't want to see what happened to him in the Void. Let it be." Odin said finally, weighting each word.

Frigga gave him the look of disbelief.

"You know." She said calmly.

"Yes." Odin agreed.

"How?" Frigga demanded.

"I beseech you. Let it be." Odin said tiredly.

Frigga didn't need any more encouragement to cast the spell with the quick gesture of her hand. Before she found herself in her son's head, she caught Odin's wrinkled hand. She wasn't sure why her husband was so determined to prevent her from discovering what happened to Loki, but she would find out.

Odin was only her husband in Valhalla. He wasn't the King anymore. She needed not to obey him now.

* * *

 **I know the suspence for the real encounter with Thanos has been building for a while now, but there is more to be discovered than only Thanos' treatment of Loki.**

 **"Your birthright was to die." (Just a little explanation for my depiction of Odin. I cannot forgive him this little speech.)**


	20. Chapter XIX - Why? The Interrogation III

The room seemed vast, yet the black and red colours caused it to give a claustrophobic impression nevertheless. The austerity of the place was symbolised by the complete absence of furniture. The only exception was an extravagant armchair which the local inhabitants called a throne. The throne was situated in the very middle of the space.

Thanos was sitting on the peculiar throne, his left elbow casually leaning against the armrest. His thumb and the index finger on his left hand were carelessly mapping his jawline as if they were combining an invisible beard. The gesture suggested that he was lost deep in thought. Yet the slight smirk revealed the uneven teeth and together with the never-changing, evil look with the additional sadistic pleasure in his eyes suggested that the ideas he was busy contemplating seemed satisfying to him.

If something seemed satisfying to Thanos, the rest of the universe had one more wrinkle on his forehead.

That day, indeed, Thanos had a reason for the ugly smirk. The second prince of Asgard had landed on his planet. Out of blue, the Mad Titan came into possession of such an invaluable, defenceless jewel that he couldn't believe his luck.

Thanos knew the power of having an offspring that could fight one's battles for him. He made sure to teach his own adopted children how to make a stand against his enemies. He also showed them what would happen to them should they disappoint him.

The Mad Titan was cruel, but he wasn't stupid. He was well aware that most parents viewed their children differently than he did. Unquestionably, he considered their treatment and attitude to be the expression of weakness. He didn't, however, underestimate the extent of madness most parents would be willing to go to in order to save their children from abuse.

Thanos knew that most parents would sacrifice anything to protect their children from harm.

His smirk widened. Right now, Thanos was holding the key to manipulate the Protector of the Nine Realms by a simple snap of his fingers. Especially considering that each snap of those fingers could mean breaking a bone of Odin's precious child.

The Mad Titan stood up from his chair.

This should be fun.

…

The first thing that the fallen Asgardian prince noticed upon waking up from his unwilling slumber was the severe pain in his head.

And then all the memories of his fall came back.

Loki opened his eyes.

The shining emerald green irises were easily the brightest, most mesmerising items in the room that the god was occupying.

The God of Mischief was astonished to realise that he was lying in a bed. Almost immediately, he noticed that his aching head was rested onto a light pillow and he was covered by a simple blanket. Trying to ignore the pain in his body, Loki turned over onto his side. He grimaced as he was roughly reminded of the different afflictions of pain. Yet his curiosity won and soon the emerald eyes were searching the room.

The room was relatively small with simple furnishings. Apart from the narrow bed he was lying in, there was nothing but rough, three rock-like walls with no windows. The fourth wall was missing. Instead, Loki found himself staring at an object that constantly made it clear where he had been placed.

The iron bars.

He was in the dungeons.

Loki had no recollection of how he got into the room he could now with certainty call a cell. The last thing he could remember was the Titan's hand touching his forehead. Then, a cloud of pain filled his head and everything went black.

The prince expected his founders to want to hurt him. That's how you usually react when you find a monster in your backyard. Yet he was placed in a bed to have time to heal.

Something was off. Loki couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong about this situation as the dizziness was quickly overcoming him. Deciding that there was nothing better to do now than trying to regain his strength by giving his magic free hand to repair his body, Loki let himself be drifted back into the land of dreams.

…

Tony observed the scene with relief. It was obvious that Loki was made a prisoner of Thanos, but the conditions of his imprisonment didn't seem to be too harsh. Tony himself had been made a prisoner in far worse conditions and it didn't turn him into a murdering lunatic. Quite the opposite.

…

"Wake up, my prince."

The words that Loki heard were no different than those he used to hear when he was just a child. For a moment, it brought him back to his chambers on Asgard. Upon opening his eyes, the cell came back into view.

This time, he wasn't alone.

The Titan was standing right in front of his modest bed. Immediately, Loki felt inappropriate to be wrapped up in the blanket on the bed in the presence of this unknown entity. With an effort not to let any of his pain show in his expression, Loki sat up. Gladly, he understood that his magic has done wonders on his damaged body and mentally he thanked his mother for sharing this gift with him. He felt sore and in pain, however, he could sit up which was quite a miracle considering that he literally crashed onto this planet.

…

"His magic seemed to have healed him much faster than it has been doing now." Steve mumbled while watching the scene in front of him.

"I was actually beginning to worry about that. This is how Loki's magic is supposed to work. He even managed to heal himself when a sword was run through him. I don't know why it has been taking so long this time. Especially considering that it was only you mortals who hurt him." Thor followed Steve's train of thoughts while watching his brother waking up in the strange cell with a worried frown.

"It's because of the shackles he was wearing. I designed them to prevent him from using magic and even after their removal, the magic is coming back to him slowly and hence it cannot be used to an excessive degree." Steven Strange spoke.

"What are you doing here? How come you're even here? You didn't hold anyone's hand." Tony interrupted annoyed.

"I could tell you, but I suppose your rational mind would be closed to my explanation similarly as mine once was." Steve answered.

Before Tony managed to reply, the scene in front of them unfolded, effectively rendering any chatter impossible.

…

"Do you know who I am?" Thanos asked Loki who was looking at him with an unreadable expression.

"No, I don't." Loki didn't like admitting not knowing.

"My name is Thanos."

Loki's expression didn't change. The name didn't ring a bell.

Thanos smirked.

"I see that Odin has made a great deal of effort to delete my name from the Asgardian memory and libraries."

Loki, as the silver-tongued master of communication, was very well aware that it is better to keep quiet. It usually prompts people to say the things they didn't intend to let on. As he was clearly in the disadvantage in this situation, the God of Mischief was determined to equal the balance by acquiring as much information as possible.

"It should be no surprise. Odin has always been very capable of covering up the things, or people, he didn't want anymore." Thanos carefully searched Loki's face for any sign of realisation what he was talking about. When he didn't find any, Thanos found himself being impressed by the Allfather.

So his sons knew nothing about their sister.

Well, that was interesting.

"Do you know where you are?"

"In the void." Loki kept his answer brief and concise.

"Indeed. Now tell me, Loki, how come that a prince of Asgard finds himself in such a low place as the Void?" Thanos questioned with a pretended curiosity.

"I fell."

"Did you?" Thanos retorted, making no indication whether he believed him or not.

It was a bit frustrating for the Mad Titan. Usually, he could make people dance as he wanted. Yet Loki was very careful not to let out any information.

Frustrating yet entertaining.

Finally, someone who actually used their brain. A welcome change from the likes of the Chitauri or the Other who were only good to follow clear instructions.

Thanos liked a good opponent. It made the game worth playing.

It was also much more fun to break a person who never thought could be broken.

"Well, Loki. The things are like this. As you are well aware, your father is one of the most powerful beings in the universe." Thanos made a small pause. Loki flinched slightly when he said _your father_. The Titan made a careful note of that but continued as if he noticed nothing. "There is something that the Allfather has in his possession. The thing is, it doesn't belong to him. It belongs to me. And I want it back."

"What is it?" Loki asked.

"It would be more precise to ask who it is. But it doesn't matter know. I have lost contact with Odin around the time your older brother Thor was born. Since then, I was only able to get pieces of information from the realms the Allfather ruled. Such as your birth. It was quite a quiet occasion, I heard. I would expect more of a celebration when a royal child is born. Yet it will prove to be essential now. See the thing is, I heard about your little excursion to Jotunheim. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that Odin actually went there himself to save the mess your brother Thor created. He must love Thor very much."

Thanos paused and observed Loki who was staring at the blanket on the bed.

"See, Loki, love is weakness. It makes you vulnerable. You would do things for the people you love you never imagined yourself doing. For a long time, I thought that Odin had no weakness. No hole to penetrate. Yet that was until I heard about Thor's fruitful endeavour to Jotunheim. Clearly, Odin would do anything to save his new children from harm. Since that moment, I knew that the way to defeat the Allfather leads through his children. Never would I imagine such an opportunity of having Odin's son in my power. And so soon!" Thanos had to catch his breath before continuing. The excitement was taking hold of him. He said the new children. He shouldn't have said that. But considering that Loki never heard about Hela, he shouldn't find it suspicious.

"It's nothing personal, Loki. You will be back in your shiny palace before you can say the Nine Realms. But see, I want to be sure that the…transaction goes smoothly. And so I decided to give Odin an extra motivation."

Thanos snapped his fingers. Immediately, four Chitauri guards entered Loki's cell.

"I will give you back to your father on one condition. He has someone that I desire very much. It will be head for head. A fair deal." Thanos turned his attention to the Chitauri.

"As I said, I want him to look worse than he actually is. He has already been injured so make sure you don't hurt him too much. Just make sure that Odin sees that it is not healthy for his son to stay here much longer." With those words, Thanos left the cell. His steps were echoing through the dungeons but soon their sound died out.

Loki tried to make sense of what he'd just been told.

Thanos wanted to return him to Asgard in exchange for some valuable prisoner.

He could see his mother again.

 _No, Loki._

Would Odin take him back? Would he understand that he did those things to please him? Would he understand that he never meant to actually hurt Thor?

That's why he let the fire burn out before the Destroyer hit his brother.

How out of hands did his plans spiralled.

Yet the endless fall showed Loki what it meant to be alone and hopeless. He wanted to make amends with his mother and Thor.

Thanos must never know that he is not actually Odin's child.

If he did, he may not contact Odin for the exchange.

Letting go was the mistake of Loki's life. Letting go of the control over his actions started it and the literal letting go of the Gungnir finished it.

But it couldn't be too late to somehow save the situation now.

When he let go, Loki expected not to suffer anymore.

Instead, he was given something far more rewarding.

A chance for redemption.

He would not be a coward and he will return to Asgard with his head held high, willing to admit his mistakes.

He will show Frigga that she doesn't have to ashamed to call him her son.

He will show them that he is more an Odinson than Laufeyson.

Loki knew what the Chitauri's job was even before they moved to his bed and roughly shoved him on the ground. He would take the beating. Welcome it even. He knew he deserved it for his actions on Asgard. And then, he would go home to make things right.

…

"I don't understand this. Loki wasn't given back to Asgard. He appeared on Midgard out of blue. Literally. This doesn't make any sense." Thor stared at his comrades confused. None of them seemed to have a reply.

A few steps away, hidden by Frigga's magic so that no one could see or hear them, the former Queen of Asgard whispered the words Odin had feared with a shaky voice while she was watching four disgusting creatures beating her son. Loki, her little baby Loki with his beautiful, short hair, was lying on the ground. He wasn't defending himself. Instead, he was taking the blows as If he deserved them.

"Oh, Odin. What did you do?"

* * *

 **I truly cannot believe that there are now more than 200 people following this story! Thank you SO much!**


	21. Chapter XX - The Relic Interrogation IV

"After all this time, you have finally decided to honour me by your visit." Thanos was looking at Odin with a mocking expression.

"There has never been anything worth my attention in your part of the universe." Odin replied emotionlessly.

"Until now."

"Yes. Until now."

"Still, I keep thinking. How come that your son fell down onto my planet?" Thanos was clearly enjoying having the upper hand for the first time in thousand years.

"What happens on Asgard is none of your business." Odin paused. "Where is he?"

"Follow me."

Thanos didn't bother to check if the Allfather would go after him and began descending towards the dungeons.

…

"I hope this will get more relevant soon." Fury said.

They all watched how four Chitauri guards beat Loki until he was reduced to a little, bloody ball lying on the cold ground. When they seemed satisfied with their job, they left the cell without a word.

Loki breathed out loudly. This wasn't that bad. He understood that he suffered only minor injuries such as bruises, cuts and welts. None of his bones seemed to be broken. Carefully, he crawled towards the bed. With an effort, he lifted himself up and put himself onto the mattress. He pulled the blanket over his body and rested his head on the pillow. He tried to sleep.

"I am sorry that you don't find my brother's suffering entertaining enough." Thor glared daggers at Fury.

"That's enough. Both of you." Natasha spoke for the first time since they dived into Loki's memories.

"Why can't we speak to or see Loki?" Steve asked slightly worried.

"He is the one performing the spell. He can see what we see but the magic doesn't allow him to communicate with us." Strange replied.

"Do you have an answer for everything?" Tony asked. "I want to make a bargain. Show me your tricks and I show you mine."

Strange smiled for the first time in front of the Avengers.

"Be careful, Mr Stark. I am quite talented and patient at bargaining. I tend to get what I want."

"Someone is coming." Natasha was the first one to hear the approaching steps.

Thor lifted his eyes and what he saw almost brought him to his knees.

Thanos was coming back. By his side, his father was walking towards his brother's cell. Meanwhile, Loki seemed to be deep asleep.

...

"What did you do to him?" Odin asked Thanos. His voice didn't betray any emotions as he was watching Loki's curled up figure on the small bed. His body was covered by a plain blanket, but the Allfather could see his hands and his face. Loki's face bore the signs of torture, but his breathing was regular.

"Oh, nothing. He will be fine. If you agree to my conditions."

"If I agree to your conditions, will you let him go?"

"Yes. You can bring him back to Asgard and live in your fake, hypocrite fairy-tale happily ever after."

"I am listening." Odin said only, his eye focused on Thanos.

This was the moment the Mad Titan was waiting for thousand years.

"A long time ago, you locked away someone I care about. You locked her away despite her continuous support for _your_ conquest of the universe. I want her back."

"After all this time, you still haven't forgotten about her?"

"I have a long memory."

"So have I." Odin paused. "What exactly do you propose?"

"You can take your son back to Asgard. No further harm will come to him neither by my hands nor my subjects'. In exchange, you will free Hela and let her join me."

Odin's eye went behind the iron bars inside the cell. It settled on the broken figure on the bed whom he used to call his son.

 _Odin has always known that the Frost Giants couldn't be trusted. That's why he took Loki on the fateful day. The Allfather didn't lie when he said that both Thor and Loki were born to be kings. His plan was genius. Upon Laufey's death, he would install Loki on the throne of Jotunheim as a puppet king. With this one simple move, Odin would finally be able to control the Frost Giants who would have to accept Loki as their king. In the end, he was Laufey's son._

 _As Loki grew older, Odin was becoming more and more confident about his plan. The boy was quiet and weak. He would spend his days in the library buried in books. Odin presumed he was ashamed to always end up beaten by the real Asgardians on the practice field and so he would hide away. None of his behaviour seemed to pose a real threat to Odin's plans. The boy may have developed a fine talent for mischief and lying, but Odin hoped to use those for his own benefit. The king of Jotunheim must be able to manipulate his subjects to his will. His will, which would be controlled by Odin._

 _The only thing that bothered Odin was the fondness that Frigga and Thor seemed to develop for the youngest member of their family. To Odin's astonishment, Frigga liked Loki from the moment he placed him into her arms. When he told her about the cruel fate the boy would have encountered on Jotunheim, Frigga brought the little baby boy closer to her chest and gently kissed his forehead. Later, Frigga would always disapprove of his criticism of Loki's inability when it came to fighting. She would say that Odin should show him more love._

 _Odin tried. He would find Loki and tell him that he loved him. The boy would look at him with unsure eyes._

No matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard.

 _Yet Odin became truly worried when Frigga decided to share her gifts with the Jotun boy. When Odin confronted her, angry, telling her that they cannot fully trust a Frost Giant, Frigga would look him in the eye and answer simply._

 _"No. But we can trust our son."_

Odin sighed. Looking at the figure behind the bars, he didn't know whom he saw.

Was it a dangerous Frost Giant that infiltrated his family and tried to kill his son?

Or was it, as Frigga would always claim, their son to whom Odin should have shown more affection?

The old king wasn't sure. When it came to Loki, he never knew. Frigga would tell him that Loki was not as confident as Thor was and so he needed more approval and love. Odin would tell her that a real son of his would not be so weak.

Later, Odin would come to apologise to her and spend some time with his adopted son, trying to see him through his wife's eyes. Trying to love him as his son and see him more than just a relic that was waiting to be used at the opportune moment.

"Are you finding it difficult to answer my demands, Allfather?" Thanos' imperceptibly curious tone interrupted Odin's thoughts.

"Hela will not be freed upon any circumstances."

"Excuse me?" Thanos retorted.

"You heard me."

"So you will let your son die an agonising, slow death by my hand?" Thanos' left eyebrow was slightly raised.

"Ask a different price for letting him go." Odin said.

"There is no other bargain. It is Loki for Hela."

"The Asgardian vault has many invaluable treasures, as you are very well aware. Some of them have been taken from you. Name a different price."

"There is no other option."

Frigga's horrified face when Thor told her that Loki let go floated into Odin's mind.

Odin imagined Thor wandering around the Asgardian palace as a ghost.

Yet Hela could not be let out. Not for someone who sent the Destroyer to kill his son.

"Then there is no deal." Odin said and with one last look at Loki he turned around and began walking back.

"You're bluffing." Thanos called after him. "I know you went to Jotunheim to save Thor from Laufey. And we both know that Laufey is not half as evil as I am. You would not let your son to rot here. So stop playing with me and stop wasting my time."

Odin ceased walking and turned to face Thanos.

"No. I would not let my son to rot here." And without another word, Odin disappeared.

Thanos stared at the place where the Allfather was standing just a second ago. This was not possible. What was this supposed to mean?

For the first time in thousand years, someone has managed to catch him off guard.

Once again, it was the Allfather.

He was so close to getting Hela back. Together, they could begin an unprecedented conquest of the universe.

Now it all seemed to be gone.

Because of the Allfather's will.

Thanos curled his fists. He could explode with anger.

Once again, he had been manipulated by Odin.

Thanos was sick of it.

He would have his conquest. Even without Hela. In the end, anyone is replaceable.

The Mad Titan turned around, caught an iron bar and with one mighty yank, he tossed it aside. The sound of the iron hitting the rock-like wall resonated throughout the dungeons.

Immediately, Loki woke up and jerked his head up.

…

"No." Thor whispered and unable to support his weight any longer, he slipped onto his knees. "How is it even possible? Loki didn't see this. He is asleep. Does he know that father came here?" The Thundered uttered almost inaudibly, horrified and confused.

"It is the nature of the spell. Loki brought us into his memories, that is true. But I think that even he doesn't know the exact nature of the spell. I don't know it either. Magic is a unique, almost alive entity. Sometimes even such a sorcerer supreme as your brother cannot fully control his magic. Sometimes it can take control of him and go into its own direction." Strange answered.

"Do you think he knows? That father denied bringing him back to Asgard?" Thor said, his voice dried out of any emotions.

"He most likely didn't. But don't forget, he sees what we see. He knows now."

* * *

 **What do you think? Did you expect this?**

 **I hope to have shown that Odin was hesitant to do what he did. I am truly not fond of him, but I wanted to portray him somehow torn. In the end, making him leave Loki to Thanos' mercy should be enough revenge for me trying to show that ultimately, he is the villain of the piece. Also, I somehow needed to capture the difference between Odin's regretful "No" and his emotionless dealing with a prisoner whom he refused to call by his name. The change in Odin's behaviour and attitude was profound and that little speech of his is quite unforgettable.**

 **Frigga's reaction and Thanos' revenge in the next chapter.**


	22. Chapter XXI - The End of Interrogation

**If you want to remind yourself of Loki's encounters with the Other, go back to _Chapter XIII - It's Just a Name._**

* * *

"What…." Loki began asking as his sleepy eyes tried to make some sense of the situation by scanning the room.

Yet the Mad Titan in his tantrum has already made a few steady steps and before Loki managed to fully wake up, the monstrous hand caught his throat and hoisted him up into the air. The emerald eyes shot wide in surprise and sudden fear as his breath was stuck in his throat.

Loki's palms instinctively clenched Thanos' wrist in a desperate attempt to loosen the grip on his throat to enable the air to flow in but his physical strength was laughable compared to the Titan's.

Loki began to suffocate. He wasn't even aware of his feet not touching the ground anymore.

"Who are you?" Thanos hissed spitefully, drops of spittle spitting out of his mouth.

Loki seemed to be losing consciousness.

Thanos narrowed his sight and sent Loki flying against the wall. The Trickster's body collided with the rock and slid down.

Immediately, Loki brought the palm of his hand to his bruised throat as he struggled and coughed to catch his breath. He pushed himself onto his knees and stared at Thanos with dreadful anticipation. He had no idea what provoked the Titan to suddenly react in such an uncontrolled manner, as opposed to the menacingly compoused and manipulative demeanour he had displayed earlier.

"I asked you a question." Thanos screamed and Loki tried to remember what the question had been.

"You know who I am." He said after a moment.

Thanos smirked incredulously.

"You have some nerve to provoke me when I am in this mood." He said, and Loki could swear that there was a hint of admiration in his tone.

"It's no provocation if it's the truth. You have displayed that you know exactly who I am." Loki tried to talk his way out of the uncomfortable question, hoping that his silver tongue would hold him above water.

"Do I?" Thanos echoed and moved closer to Loki.

The young god tried to hide how intimidated the Titan was making him feel and so he slowly, never taking his eyes off Thanos, stood up to his full height and looked the Titan up to his eyes.

"Yes. You do."

"Who are you?" Thanos asked again.

"I am Loki." The God of Mischief paused. "Of Asgard."

"Are you? Are you really?" Thanos' eyes never left Loki's, searching for any sign of lies or mischief.

"Who gave you that name?"

"My mother."

"Who is your mother?"

"Frigga, the Queen of Asgard."

"How do you know that she was the one to give you that name?"

"She told me." Loki stared at Thanos who clearly did not believe a word he was saying. "She has always used to say that the name comes from _luka_ which means _to embrace closely_. Mother would say that she has chosen this name for me to know that she will always be there to hug me." Loki knew that people would usually believe someone if the one managed to deliver a sufficient amount of details. He did not wish to share his personal stories with the Titan, but his self-preservation instinct was telling him that right now, it was vital that the Titan believed him. Had he any suspicion that Loki may not be Odin's true son, he may not contact his father to release him.

"Doesn't _luka_ mean _to break or to torment_?" Thanos questioned.

"That is the other interpretation." Loki said with fake confidence.

Thanos grimaced.

"I think that my interpretation is going to be much more correct if you don't stop lying to me."

"I am not lying to you."

"Are you not? Who is your father?"

And Loki hesitated. Immediately, he knew that it was his fatal fault. This was a battle of two manipulative wits, there was no space for mistakes.

"Odin, the Allfather." He said at last.

"Would he come down here to get you back to Asgard as he came for you and your brother on Jotunheim?"

And Loki knew that he simply could not answer. One liar could recognise another one and Loki was certain that he could not say that sentence with such a persuasion that Thanos would not be able to detect the lie.

"I don't know." Loki said finally.

"Would he come for Thor?"

Loki closed his eyes. This interrogation hurt more than any possible punch the Mad Titan could pull.

"Yes."

"If you are both his sons, why would he come for Thor and not for you?"

"I didn't say he wouldn't come. I said I didn't know."

"Why does he favour Thor over you?"

"Thor is stronger. He can wield Mjolnir."

"That is not it. Odin himself has not achieved his position by rough power. It was mostly by his sense of manipulation and craftiness." Thanos eyed Loki.

Loki didn't want to say anymore and so he only stared defiantly at him.

Out of blue, the Titan slapped him hard across his left cheek and Loki found himself hitting the ground once again. His head was dizzy but as soon as he felt he could stand without falling down, he got back to his feet.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Thanos breathed out mockingly.

"Look, Loki. This can go two ways. Either the hard way, or the harder way. You're a smart cookie, aren't you? You know that in the end, everyone will speak. So why don't you save yourself some pain and me some time and spill the beans."

"You have no idea how strong I am. You don't know me." Loki replied.

"I like you. You have stamina. I will enjoy playing with you. It will be much more fun than breaking the ordinary creatures. But in the end, Loki, I will break you. You will beg me to kill you and I will mercifully comply with your request if I deem appropriate."

"You can't break me." Loki said without emotions.

"Is that so?" Thanos retorted.

"You cannot break someone who has already been broken. I have nothing to lose."

"Really? Well, see, this is interesting. We haven't even properly begun, and you have already shared some interesting information with me. What in the Nine Realms could have happened on Asgard that would make you say this?" Thanos glared atLoki who tried to stop his cheeks from blushing. "You are too clever to reveal something like this without any emotional trigger. It was your brother, wasn't it? He is the trigger."

"Trigger for what?" Loki asked derisively.

"Your breaking point."

…

"How could you?" Frigga whispered, covering her mouth with her palm.

"My Queen, please, you must understand. Hela could not be let out. You know that." Odin tried to reason with his wife.

"You left him there. You left him all alone in the hands of the vilest creature in the universe." Frigga said, ignoring Odin's explanation.

"I didn't do it with any pleasure." Odin said.

"You didn't tell me. You never mentioned you met with Thanos and saw Loki. You've always said that Heimdall could not locate him."

"I wasn't lying. Heimdall could not find him. Neither could I. But Thanos had his way of contacting me."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Frigga refused to look Odin in the eye.

"I was afraid you would never forgive me. I know you love Loki very much."

Frigga gave Odin the look of disbelief.

"As you were supposed to do."

And then it hit her.

"You knew." Frigga raised her voice. "You knew what happened to him in the Void. You knew, and you didn't bother to conduct a proper trial and you sentenced him anyway. For eternity."

Odin didn't react.

"How could you do that?" Frigga whispered.

"It was for the best." Odin said.

"For the best?" Frigga echoed.

"We couldn't afford to have another Hela. Locking him away was the only option. Don't you remember that he had turned his back on us even before Thanos got hold of him? Had he not done it, Thanos would never possess him in the first place."

"You started it. Don't try to pretend you didn't. I can see right through you." Frigga answered.

"He was getting dangerous. Uncontrollable. He wanted to be Thor's equal. You should have never shared his magic with him."

"Is that why you decided to crown Thor the king even though you knew he wasn't ready? To show Loki that the two of them would never be equal?"

"They boy needed to be reminded of his place."

"That backfired, didn't it?"

"I didn't expect him to challenge the coronation. He's always been quite quiet."

"Quiet doesn't mean weak."

"Exactly, Frigga, it doesn't." Odin raised his voice. "Loki decided to think for himself. If we couldn't control him, we had to constrain him. It was the only way."

"Loki was the prince of Asgard. He was supposed to learn to think for himself."

"No, Frigga. He was to be the King of Jotunheim and it was essential for him to never think for himself."

"Was he just a relic to you? For all these years, have you been raising him as a pig for slaughter?"

"No." Odin said truthfully.

"Every time you told him you loved him, you only claimed so, didn't you?"

"I don't know."

Frigga looked Odin deep into the eye. She wouldn't shed her tears for him now.

"You repel me, Allfather."

…

"Chain him up." Thanos called and within a moment, a pair of guards appeared in Loki's cell.

Before he knew it, Loki's arms were spread out unnaturally far because of the shackles hanging from the ceiling which were now cutting into his wrists. The uncomfortable position allowed only Loki's tiptoes to touch the ground.

"Call the Other. Tell him that the time for plan B has come." The Titan addressed the guards. They quickly bowed and left and Thanos focused his attention back on Loki.

"Trust me. You'll be happy to see me." And with that he left.

…

Loki's head was resting against the pit of his neck. He was so emaciated that he could not stand anymore and the full, by now meagre weight of his body was hanging from the shackles that were keeping him up. He was marginally aware of little streams of blood sliding from his cheeks.

He didn't know how many times the Other's now feared hand came into contact with his head and made him relive the moment of his collision with the surface of his planet.

He didn't remember when it was that he was stripped of his armour, left only in his tunic and black trousers, because the Other needed _more room to play_.

He didn't want to think about all the times he pleaded the Other to stop; when he screamed his lungs out only to be told that nothing will stop the Other's scaly fingers to stop slicing his skin.

Had Loki been able to measure the time, he would have known that he had been in the dungeons of the Mad Titan for a good half a year. In all his time, he has seen the Mater of the Palace only at the very beginning. Then, Thanos promised him to return to Asgard in exchange for something. The next thing Loki knew, the Titan was screaming at him, demanding to know who he truly was. When Loki refused to say, he left, and Loki hasn't seen him since.

Then the routine began. No one would talk to Loki and the only one he saw was the Other who would keep coming with new ways of torture. When Loki begged him to stop, the Other would retort that nothing will stop this.

Loki's life became a circle of never-ending agony.

When, out of blue, Thanos returned.

Loki heard the approaching footsteps, but he didn't even flinch at the idea of his torturer coming back. He couldn't afford to make any movements as anything would cause him more pain. He had become so numb.

The God of Mischief didn't lift his head up when the doors to his cell were opened and someone walked in. Loki tried telling himself that the Other could not possibly surprise him any longer, yet that didn't help the dreadful anticipation of his next steps.

But the pain didn't come.

Instead, Loki came to realise that someone was unlocking his manacles. Before he knew it, one of his raw wrists was released and Loki's body came to hang only by his right arm. Curious to see what brought about this change, the young god raised his tired eyes.

Thanos.

The Mad Titan walked over to the second manacle and opened also that one. Without the chains supporting his weight, Loki's body, by now so used to being held in one position, helplessly slipped onto the ground. His limbs were in cramp.

"Take it easy." Thanos' voice echoed in the cell as he walked towards Loki.

The God of Mischief had no strength to push himself up from the little ball curled up on the ground and in the desperate attempt to separate himself from his surrounding, he closed his eyes.

He could feel Thanos' arm slipping underneath him and lifting him off the ground. Still with his eyes tightly shut, he was being carried for a moment before being gently laid onto something soft.

Loki opened his eyes.

He was in the meagre bed he occupied at the beginning of his stay in the dungeons.

The emerald eyes dared to search for the Titan's ones.

"Do you know who I am?" Thanos asked

"Thanos." Loki whispered. His voice was hoarse, and it pained him to speak.

Without a word, Thanos handed him a cup with water. Loki didn't question where he got it from and drank the content.

"Do you know for how long you've been here?"

"No."

"Six months."

Six months?! Loki echoed in his mind, aware that the surprise was apparent in his eyes. It couldn't have been. He was in the dungeons being tortured for half a year? That wasn't possible. Has his family forgotten him?

"Do you remember the last conversation we led?" Thanos questioned dryly.

"Yes."

"Let's try again. But if you don't feel like answering, that's fine. I will leave. No pressure." The Titan smirked.

Loki squeezed the cup in his hands so much that it broke. He couldn't let Thanos leave. It would mean that the Other would come back. That couldn't happen. He couldn't bear the knife slicing through his meat again and…

The tears began streaming onto his cheeks and Loki was crying silently.

It was simply too much.

For half a year, he was there. In the dungeons, having the company of his torturer only. All this because he tried to make his father proud. Where was Odin? Thanos said he would ask him to come. Why didn't he?

It didn't matter now. No matter what, Loki had to ensure that the Other would not come back.

Loki looked Thanos in the eyes.

He was ready.

Thanos nodded.

"I understand that being in the Other's company for such a period of time can leave some creatures a bit…unstable, but you stroke me as unusually strong when we met. So I am going to suppose that you are still sane. Do you remember who you are?"

"Loki."

"Where are you from?"

"From Asgard."

"Is Odin your father?"

"Odin raised me." Loki whispered. Those words caused his stomach to tie into tight knots.

"You have been raised as a prince in the royal family of Asgard."

"Yes." That wasn't a question, but Loki answered anyway. He didn't want to leave the soft bed and return to the manacles.

"Who is your real father?"

Loki's breath quickened. "Laufey."

"Laufey?!" Thanos repeated incredulously and made a few steps towards the bed. Loki involuntarily brought his knees to his chest.

"Yes." He whispered, hoping that Thanos would believe him.

"Are you trying to tell me that you are a Frost Giant? Do I look like an idiot to you?"

"I know it sounds strange given my appearance, so why would I make up such a lie?" Loki mumbled desperately.

"How did you get to Asgard?"

"After having defeated the Frost Giants, Odin found me cast out onto a frozen rock. He took me in."

"Why?"

"I don't know. As a bargaining tool I suppose."

"How did he persuade the Asgardians to accept a Jotun prince? They detest them."

"He told no one. Only my mother knew. Even I didn't know until recently."

"How did you discover your true lineage?"

"During that trip to Jotunheim. A Frost Giant touched my arm. It turned blue."

Thanos thought for a second. Then he turned to leave.

"Please, don't. I am telling the truth." Loki said as loudly as he could. The panic was creeping into him.

Thanos tried to give him a reassuring look, yet his dead eyes were incapable of such an emotion.

"Don't worry, Loki. No one is going to hurt you anymore. I won't let them." The tone which was supposed to be gentle was an ugly caricature of that emotion, but Loki calmed down a bit.

So far, Thanos hasn't lied to him.

Thanos was back before Loki managed to begin his first sleep on a bed in half a year. To his horror, Loki saw that he was back with a monster almost the size of the Mad Titan.

A Frost Giant.

Thanos and the Jotun entered Loki's cell.

Loki was sitting on his bed, frozen to the spot, unable to move.

The Frost Giant looked at Thanos who gave him a hardly visible nod.

Without further hesitation, the Frost Giant made a few quick steps towards Loki and quickly grabbed his injured arm.

Loki rapidly blinked a few times and then he observed with tired resignation how the blue colour was filling every piece of his body. The carvings were becoming apparent as well. Loki thanked the Norns that his cell didn't have a mirror. He didn't want to see the red eyes staring back at him.

The eyes of a monster.

A tear escaped his eyes and so he closed them. He began to shake.

"Enough. Leave us." Thanos said and the Frost Giant immediately let go of Loki's arm and left the cell.

Loki kept his eyes closed as if afraid to see a piece of the monster he was.

The bed made a little sound as another figure sat on it.

"It's gone. You can open your eyes now." Thanos said quietly and Loki obeyed.

The blue was gone.

"It's alright. I believe you." Thanos said and Loki only nodded.

"So that is why Odin wouldn't come for you." Thanos said, half to himself.

"Yes." Loki whispered.

"He never loved you."

Loki hesitated. "I don't know."

"Do you think a king of Asgard could ever love a Frost Giant, Loki?" Thanos asked him as if he were a small child.

Loki didn't answer. Unintentionally, he was fidgeting his fingers.

"You must kill this useless sentiment, Loki. It will do you no good."

"No. He has never loved me." Loki replied after a while.

"Yes. He never did." Thanos confirmed.

"But mother…Frigga. She did love me, didn't she?" Loki's big eyes refused to leave the ground.

"The Queen of Asgard is known for her… gentle heart. She may have been even able to extend it to the likes such as you." Thanos said.

Loki didn't react.

"What happened on Asgard before you fell?"

"Thor was to be crowned the King. I interrupted it."

"The crowds loved it, didn't they? I bet they celebrated loudly the mighty wielder of Mjolnir. No one even noticed you being there."

"Yes."

"You have a royal blood in your veins, Loki. That's why I am going to share this piece of information with you." Thanos said seriously and Loki shot him a confused glance before his sight set back onto the ground.

"There are two ways to follow if you want to be a successful ruler. The first one is to make them love you. Admire you. Celebrate you. That's what Thor has. You have never had it. You will never have it. You _can_ never have it. The Frost Giants are not and never will be loved by anyone. It is not in _their_ nature. Satisfaction does not run in _your_ veins. But you are to be a king one day. It is your birthright as the son of Laufey. And so you must master the other technique that makes a successful ruler. They must fear you. They must shake at the sight of you and drop to their knees."

"As they do with you." Loki said hesitantly.

"Yes."

Loki shook his head.

"What is it, Loki?"

"I never wanted the throne. All I ever wanted was to be Thor's equal."

"And how do you intend to achieve that? Hm? Thor will be a king. The only way to be his equal is to become a King yourself."

Loki tried to say something, but he found himself unable to respond. Thanos was right. He could only achieve the equality with his brother if he also became a king.

"How could I become a king? Asgard has only one ruler."

"There are nine worlds in the branches of Yggdrasil." Thanos said and winked at Loki. "And conveniently, one of them has something that I desire greatly."

"What is that?"

"The Tesseract."

Loki closed his eyes in suspicion.

"What do you want the Tesseract for?"

"Does that concern you?" Thanos raised his eyebrows.

"What do you want from me?" Loki asked finally.

"I want you to become what you have always been meant to be. A king. You will get me the Tesseract and I will give you Midgard."

 _Midgard. The realm his brother loved._

"What about the people of Midgard?" Loki questioned.

"They will all be yours. You can do as you deem appropriate."

"You want the Tesseract to attack Asgard, do you not?" Loki picked up the courage.

"What is there on Asgard that would be worth your attention? It is a realm that despises your species with a ruling family that never loved you. They raised you as a pig for slaughter. Deep down, you know that I am right. You are nothing on Asgard. A no one. And you will always remain a no one. Unless you take your destiny into your own hands and make a name for yourself. Such a name that even Asgard will fear its sound."

Loki thought for a second.

"As I said, I never wanted the throne. You want the Tesseract to conquer Asgard. I will not help you hurt my brother and mother."

"Is that your last word, Loki?" Thanos said with a tone of a disappointed parent.

"Yes." Loki whispered, shielding himself from the pain that would certainly come.

"You have disappointed me, boy." Thanos said only and stood up from the bed. Without another word or a look back he left the cell.

Loki's whole body was tense. He was awaiting the return of the Other. The raven-haired god tried to console himself with the thought that his last act of defiance was to save Thor and Frigga. He knew that Thanos was right. Everyone would break eventually or grow insane. Yet there was something Loki wanted to say out loud before that happened.

"I know you cannot hear me." Loki said, hunching on his bed. "But brother, I am so sorry for what I have done. I meant what I told you. Please, never doubt that I love you. And mother…I did it all wrong. I never should have tried to make father proud. I should have tried to make you proud. I am so sorry."

With the words out of his shoulders, Loki lay onto the mattress and let his eyes close. He knew the torture would come, but right now he just wanted to sleep.

…

Loki woke up sweaty.

At first, he found his senses confused and dizzy. He tried sitting up, but his head began to spin around.

It took him a while to take in the situation but when he understood where he was, he couldn't understand why no one came. Wasn't the Other supposed to torture him by now?

Loki wiped the sweat out of his forehead with his hand and went back to sleep.

…

The next time he woke up, his throat was dry. He tried resting his back against the wall while sitting up to ease the dizziness, but the wall burnt him. Confused, he flinched and quickly glanced around. His cell was still the same. Nothing changed.

Except the heat.

Suddenly, Loki understood.

The temperature in the cell has risen rapidly since Thanos left and it kept rising. The walls were radiating with the heat.

The Frost Giants could not be in a warm place.

It was not in their nature.

It was not in his nature.

Loki panicked.

…

He hallucinated Thor. Again. This time he knew it was a hallucination. That didn't stop him from talking to his imagined brother.

"He does it because he knows, Thor. He knows that I am a Frost Giant. That's why he keeps raising the temperature. Everyday, it gets hotter. I can't take this anymore. Do you even know that I am a Frost Giant? Did father tell you? But he is not my father, is he? Did the Allfather tell you? I am so tired, brother. I just want to sleep. Please, make it cold. Thor, you promised you would keep me safe. Can you make this place cooler? But no, don't come here. You said you would slay all the Frost Giants. Please, Thor, don't hurt me. I didn't ask for this. I don't want to be a Frost Giant. I would change myself if I could. You promised to protect me. But you also promised to kill all the Frost Giants. I am a Frost Giant. It doesn't go together." Loki finished his nonsensical monologue tiredly and drained out he was laying on the ground which was no longer cold.

…

It took another half a year for Thanos to come back. This time, he returned with the Other. Loki couldn't hear them coming anymore.

"He is weak. It should be no difficulty for you." Thanos told the Other who nodded.

They entered Loki's cell. The Other was holding the sceptre.

"Don't forget about the eyes. Thor must not notice."

"Of course, my lord."

The end of the sceptre touched Loki's chest. For a moment, he woke up from his trance, unaware that for a brief second, his eyes changed the colour from the beautifully rare emerald one to a shining blue. Then they were back to their original colour and Loki's eyelids fell back in exhaustion.

"Make the temperature go back to a normal level. He will be ready soon." Thanos instructed and they both left the cell.

…

Loki woke up with a clear mind. Such a thing was impossible. He didn't have a clear mind for ages. He opened his eyes and saw the Other.

He remembered in an instant.

"You messed up with my mind." He said.

"Yes." The Other answered simply.

"It won't work. I know you did it."

"That doesn't matter. You have to listen to the orders anyway. So listen. Time for the instructions."

When the Other finished, Loki's head was full of information that had taken a seed in his head.

"Oh, I almost forgot." The Other said at the last moment. "You are a God of Mischief. I want that attitude."

…

 _He is ready to lead and our force, our Chitauri, will follow. A world will be his. The universe, yours._

"He is not a mere mortal. Are you sure he will not be able to break through the compulsion?" Thanos questioned.

"I think he will break it at moments. But even without it, he is confused. Lonely. He doesn't know what he wants. Had you not mentioned the Tesseract, he would have been persuaded to attack Midgard even without the sceptres' influence." The Other answered.

"For your own sake, I hope you're right."

"Anyway, Odin will send Thor to stop him. And Thor…" The Other began and Thanos smiled.

"Thor is his breaking point. He is impulsive and reckless. When they meet, he _will_ say the wrong thing." Thanos smirked.

The Other smiled.

"And finally, Loki will be fully yours."

…

That was the moment when the Avengers have finally seen him.

Thanos.

Sitting on his huge throne.

Then there was an explosion.

…

Loki opened his eyes. He was breathing too quickly, and his heart was threatening to jump out of his chest. He looked around.

He was in the Stark Tower.

He was still holding his brother's hand.

Loki gave their holding hands a long look.

* * *

 **I looked up the possible meanings behind the origins of the name _Loki_ and I was quite fond of the two explanations. I don't know how reliable they are, but they seemed to fit.**

 **Finally, we are leaving the flashback and coming back to the present time.**

 **If anyone would like to be a beta reader for this story, please let me know ;)**


	23. Chapter XXII - The Infinity Rage

**You asked for the next chapter to be up before the Infinity War. Here it is.**

* * *

As all the rooms in the Stark Tower, the living room that was now accommodating all the Avengers was a spacious room with lots of light. The sizeable sofas were situated in the middle of the huge space. Behind them, there were clean windows instead of walls. Since Afghanistan, Tony preferred his living area to be as free and illuminated as possible.

At this very moment, the sofa and surrounding area is being occupied by all the Avengers including Doctor Strange, Director Fury and one God of Mischief. They are all holding hands.

Loki kept staring at his sweaty hand which was squeezing his brother's as if his life depended on it. He was shaking and breathing hard. One quick glance at Thor made it clear that the older god was not doing much better.

 _He has no right to feel this way._

Suddenly, Thor's hand seemed to be made of volcano's magma and Loki abruptly let go of it as if it could burn him without warning. Seemingly out of his senses, he basically jumped up to his feet. His eyes were unfocused, looking from the ground, to Thor and then to the wall.

 _This was a bad idea._

 _Such a bad idea._

Thanos was so real. And the only reason for Fury's impatience must have been that he is coming.

The Mad Titan was coming for all of them.

"Loki?" Thor finally seemed to snap out of his trance and he uttered his brother's name as a mere whisper.

Loki looked at Thor.

He focused on his one eye.

All he saw was Odin.

Loki brought his hands into tight fists as he felt a wave of anger and despair sweeping through him all at once. Unable to keep his magic inside himself, he released it.

The effect was immediate. The huge windows shattered with a loud bang. The shelves that covered the walls fell down with all the things they had been carrying.

It all happened within a moment.

After it, the living room was a mess.

Loki looked around surprised.

The last time he found himself so overcame by anger that his magic left into its own direction was…

"Mother." He uttered quietly.

He stared at Thor.

"Did mother know that he left me there?" Loki looked at Thor and the God of Thunder swallowed hard. The look in his brother's eyes was the one Loki displayed after having fallen to the Void.

His eyes were emotionally restrained as if there was never to be any warmth inside them ever again.

"No. I am sure she didn't." Thor managed to answer quietly, ignoring Tony who was looking around his living room frantically.

"Did you?" Loki asked, looking Thor straight in the eye.

"No." Thor answered. "Of course, not!"

Loki smirked.

Then he winced. His ribs shot pain through his body again. Loki almost forgot that his torso was under all the bandages still a bloody mess. Thanks to…

"Fury. Did you enjoy the show? I am sure you must have loved this." Loki addressed the Director and made a few steps towards him.

Fury, still in shock as the rest of them, didn't react. The only one whose senses seemed to be as sharp as ever was Natasha. She stood up to stand in front of the Director.

"Loki." She said resolutely. "Don't do anything you might regret."

"Oh, don't you worry. I will regret it if I don't do what I plan to do." Loki said, his voice without any emotions, so different from the one he had used earlier that day.

"Loki." Thor addressed Loki desperately. The situation was getting out of control.

"Oh, what is it, Thor? Such a surprise. You were playing the good brother for the last two days and so you are back on your friends' side now." Loki hissed angrily.

"I am on your side. I have always been on your side. Your anger just made you too blind to see that."

"Oh did it? So in the end, it is all my fault. As always. I forgot that my slights have always been just imagined. As we have all apparently imagined that Odin, the man who was supposed to be my father, left me down there, in the dungeons, despite knowing very well what would happen!" Loki didn't know when he started screaming.

Thor was lost for words for a moment.

"I didn't know Loki. I can't imagine why father would do what he did. It must have been…"

"Oh yes, I forgot. It must have been Hela, wasn't it? In the end, there is always a reason for everything the Allfather does. This is an excuse, Thor. The excuse of the winner, of the one in power."

"I am not trying to excuse what he did. But I am not Odin. I would never…"

"No, you wouldn't." Loki smirked. "He…Thanos was right."

"What?" Thor questioned alarmed.

"The first thing you told me when we met. You said…"

"Where is the Tesseract." Thor finished for him.

"After all that time, having seen me falling into the abyss, the first thing you told me was this." Loki's voice cracked a little, but the façade was back on within a second.

"Guys, I think we should all calm down and…." Steve began saying but a hit of energy sent him flying against the wall.

"Loki!" Thor screamed. Loki only smirked in return.

"Maybe he was right all the time. Asgard would never have anything but a hatred for me and I have been a fool to keep trying to win its affection. Maybe I should wait for him to come, finally give him the Tesseract and by his side watch all the rest of this ungrateful universe to burn." Loki's eyes flashed dangerously.

"When will you stop lying to yourself? Stop saying the things you don't mean!" Thor was screaming as well by now.

"How do you know that I don't mean this? I am the monster, Thor!"

"No, you are my brother."

"Clearly, as seen by Odin's actions, I am not!"

"Stop constantly rejecting your family, Loki!"

Loki gave Thor a long stare.

"I wanted a family. They just didn't want me."

Thor stared at him disbelievingly.

"How can you say that? Loki, please, calm down. I understand that all this is much worse than I ever thought possible, but you cannot blame everyone else around you without accepting your faults as well. We have always loved you. It was you who pushed us away."

"Oh was I? You know what he told me when you brought me back to Asgard in chains? _Frigga is the only reason you're still alive_."

A hint of guilt hit Loki right where his heart was.

He remembered the last words he said to his mother.

"Odin made me say such hateful things to mother, Thor. I will never forgive him for that. But you are right at one thing. Mother did love me. It's a pity that she was the only one. And now she's dead."

"How can you say that? After all I've done for you…" Thor began.

"Have you heard a word I said?" Loki interrupted angrily, his voice not going down. " _Frigga is the only reason you are still alive._ The only reason."

"Are you really so misguided to think that I would ask for your execution?" Thor screamed incredulously. One look into Loki's eyes which for a second lost the mask let him know that indeed, he was.

"Loki, I did not go begging the Allfather for your life because it never even crossed my mind that he would think about an execution."

Loki smiled sadly.

"Well, maybe that is the problem. You had a choice. Odin or Me. You chose wrong." Loki said and began walking away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Thor screamed after him.

"Not your business, Thor. But since I don't belong anywhere, I might as well go find Thanos and offer my services to him. In the end, he was the only one to ever show me some purpose."

"Loki, STOP THIS NONSENSE!" Thor screamed and walked towards his brother. Catching him by his shoulders, he tried to shake some sense into him. "Stop talking as if you were our enemy. If you don't stop, they might as well consider you to be one."

"I have done nothing wrong when we came here and look what they had done to me! And you didn't stop them." Loki said, his voice cracking at the end of the sentence.

"I am sorry. I admit that letting Fury take you was my fault. I…"

"You have never done anything. You left me with Thanos for all that time. I was in pain." The words kept rolling of Loki's tongue which no longer felt silver.

"Loki, I am so sorry. I have never stopped loving you. You must believe me." Thor looked Loki in the eyes.

Loki smiled.

Thor thought to have won.

"You should know…" Loki began saying in a neutral tone, "that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with the glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere. That hope no longer exists to protect you. You betray me and I will kill you."

Thor swallowed.

"I didn't mean that." Thor answered after a moment. His arms never left Loki's shoulders.

"Didn't you tell me just a second ago that I should never say things that I don't mean? Because people might think that they are true."

"Loki, it was after Midgard! I thought that you caused all the havoc because you wanted some petty revenge on me! I was angry and scared for Jane! I was not thinking clearly!"

"Well, maybe, had you not automatically suspected that your monster of a brother tried to enslave a random planet purely by his own will, you would have come to me to ask me. But you never bothered, Thor. You even put a muzzle on me to prevent me from saying anything. And then, when they told me I was to face a trial, they brought me to the Allfather but not for a trial, it was a condemnation. Then, they put me to the dungeons which you never, not even once, bothered to visit until the moment your precious mortal needed a help." Loki's eyes watered involuntarily, and he cursed himself for the bloody sentiment he was still holding.

"Brother," Thor began saying and did not falter when Loki rolled his eyes upon that name, "I don't deny the wrongs that I have done to you. But we will not move anywhere until you admit your faults as well! You sent the Destroyer to kill me and our friends before any of this happened!"

"Why would I let the fire die away if I wanted you dead?" Loki screamed at the top of his lungs.

"You told me that father was dead because of me and that mother has forbidden my return! Do you know how I felt, stranded on Earth without hope of ever coming back home?" Thor screamed back.

"No, I wouldn't, would I?" Loki screamed with sarcasm dripping of his tongue.

"How would you feel had I told you that mother did not want you to come home?" Thor yelled at Loki and once again shook his shoulders.

The Trickster felt his walls breaking down.

"I am sorry for that." Loki said finally, barely audible. It was such a difference from all the screaming.

"I am also sorry, brother." Thor smiled.

Loki smiled back.

Loki made a few steps back and Thor let go of him.

"Yet this does not change the fact that you all left me. Forsook me. And Thanos got hold of me. You're right, Thor. I could never go back to that heartless monster, but I will not stay with you either. I should have taken Korg and his stupid, easily manipulated friends as far from you as possible." Loki said and turned to leave.

Thor reached for him.

"Loki…" He began saying, but his hand has gone through his brother as if he was a ghost.

An illusion.

Thor blankly stared at the place where Loki has been only a moment ago.

He has fooled him again.

Loki was no longer there.

Tony coughed and looked around the shattered living room.

"Well. This went well."

* * *

 **I cannot really leave this without a few comments.**

 **First of all, I am so sorry not to have posted a happier, fluffy chapter before the Infinity War. But this chapter had to be done. Well...bad timing.**

 **Also, should anything bad happen to Loki in the Infinity War, my plan is to stand up in the middle of the theatre and say loudly: "Enough. You are all of you beneath me. He is a god you dull creatures and he will not be bullied by you."**

 **And theatrically walk away.**

 **Even if the Hulk is in the audience, this is still my plan.**

 **Well...it is nice to dream sometimes.**

 **Anyway, let's all keep our fingers crossed for the Infinity War not to turn into a Shakespearean tragedy and let's believe that our Trickster will find a way to fool all the bad guys as well as the good guys as he always does.**


	24. Chapter XXIII - The Confused Minds

Loki was walking on the streets of the city. For once in his life, he hoped for his appearance to be as ordinary as possible. He wanted to be left alone so he could anonymously walk through the empty streets and think about all that has happened lately.

Asgard had been destroyed.

He was reunited with his brother.

Then they came to Midgard.

He was tortured.

Then Thor came for him and they finally functioned as a family.

He let the Avengers see his time with the contemptible monster…

Oh no.

He was once again slipping to the mindset when the name itself filled him with so much horror that he couldn't even voice it in his mind. Saying it would make it too real.

But he is Loki. The God of Mischief. He is not afraid of saying a stupid name of someone so hideous that he does not even deserve his fear.

Thanos.

Loki smiled slightly. He said it. Only to himself, but that didn't matter.

Yet remembering his encounter with the Mad Titan now with his head being a bit clearer than in the room full of his supposed enemies, Loki understood that it had only one major consequence.

He understood what it meant to be alone.

And, as he told Thor when that annoyingly self-confident sorcerer was in their room, Loki didn't want to be alone anymore.

So why was he now walking alone through the city?

Maybe Thor wasn't the only hot-headed fool in the family.

Loki turned back with the intention of going to the Stark Tower.

Aa he was preparing to make a first step back to his brother, a brute force suddenly threw him into a small side street.

Loki felt his ribs cracking again as he hit a couple of rubbish bins and swore to himself that he must do something about them.

Promptly, he put himself back onto his feet to face the unknown enemy.

The street was narrow, dark and dirty. In his wandering, Loki must have unconsciously find his way towards a worse part of the city. Looking in front of himself, he saw a tall, male shadow walking towards him.

Loki conjured his daggers and rolled his eyes. Was he really just attacked by some pathetic Midgardian robber?

Well, the robber's fault.

When the man was close enough, Loki attacked.

The man was ready.

But Loki knew he couldn't measure with the Asgardian power.

Loki went for a quick blow into the man's skull to render him defenceless yet alive. But when he went for the hit, the man put his arm to block the push and Loki's arm collided with a force of metal so strong that the blow sent him flying back.

The man was immediately back onto him. He pushed him on the ground and Loki ended up on his belly. The man grabbed his arms with his artificial arm and brought them behind his back.

"Loki. What do you think you are doing here?" The man said.

Loki tried to get him off himself, but the man's grip was as if made from iron.

"Nothing. How do you know me?" Loki said to buy time.

"You tried to kill my best friend." The man answered and tightened his grip.

"I am sure I didn't…" Loki began saying but was interrupted.

"Steve will surely not be happy to see you, but if there is anyone who can contain you, it is them." The man said. "I wanted to surprise him, but it seems that a call would have to be enough."

Loki's brain kicked in.

He turned his head around a bit and saw the man's long, black hair.

 _Bucky has these same wild, untamed black hair as well._

 _My best friend._

 _Steve._

 _Those who can contain you._

"You're Bucky." Loki said incredulously.

Immediately, he felt the other man's surprise and the grip on his wrists has loosened.

Loki didn't wait for a second opportunity and catching Bucky off guard, he slipped out and before the mortal's instincts gave him a warning, Loki kicked him hard into his chest.

Bucky ended up on his back. Before he could understand the situation, Loki put the blade of his dagger onto his throat.

"Don't make any sudden moves." He told the man lying on the ground.

"You bastard." Bucky swallowed hard. There was anger in his eyes, but no fear.

"Oh, I've been called worse." Loki gave an unhappy smile.

"How do you know my name?" Bucky asked.

Loki narrowed his eyes. He wasn't sure whether the man was just trying to buy time or if he was curious as well.

In the end, he decided that if he intended to successfully implement his plan of not being alone anymore, killing Captain's best friend may not be the best way to go about it.

"I came on Earth with Thor. I met Steve in the Stark Tower and he told me about you. He said you are his best friend." Loki gave a short version of the events of the last few days.

"You're kidding me." Bucky answered.

"Am I? How would I know who you are if Steve didn't tell me?"

"Didn't you mess up with people's minds?"

"Never with Steve's. You know that."

Bucky seemed to be thinking.

Loki was ruminating about the situation as well.

Then he made a decision.

Slowly, he removed the dagger from Bucky's throat and stood up.

Bucky was staring at him with his eyes wide open. Slowly, he got to his feet as well. He eyed Loki disbelievingly.

"I am on my way to the Stark Tower right now. You can join me, and we can go together. In that way, you can be sure that I will be…how did you phrase it…contained by the Avengers and you can also see your best friend. I am sure Steve will be very much surprised to see you. He mentioned that your mind wasn't stable and so you decided to…rest." Loki said, keeping the eye contact with Bucky.

"Why would Steve tell you all this about myself?" Bucky asked with suspicion.

"Because of the t-shirt that I am wearing. Stark gave it to me." Loki said quickly.

Bucky eyed the t-shirt, but it didn't make much sense to him. There were some lions on it.

"He said that you would feel like the lion with the dark mane. Like me. Anyway, it's too complicated." Loki pretended to babble as he knew that people would usually take it as a sign of talking your mind.

Indeed, it seemed to work.

"Fine, let's go." Bucky said and began walking away.

Loki followed him.

…

The dark-haired duo was standing at the entrance to the Stark's apartment. None of them seemed to be too enthusiastic to press the ring after their long, wordless journey to the Tower.

"I am probably not going to be exactly welcomed here." Bucky said when the silence was beginning to get awkward.

"The last time I went through, they shot me." Loki replied.

The man and the god gave each other a resigned look and Loki pressed the ring.

Soon, the doors opened.

As the men walked out from the long corridor to the main living room, Loki quickly scanned the room only to understand that not much have changed during his short absence.

The room was tidier than he left it; the scattered things were tidied up and the glass in the windows replaced.

Stark was effective, he had to give him that.

A more perceptive look made Loki understand that the Avengers were still there.

"Bucky?" Steve's astonished tone echoed through the room.

Loki curiously went for Stark's reaction whose mouth was wide open.

"Loki." The words coming out of the mouth of his brother were the thing that mattered to the God of Mischief and so he shifted his attention towards the Thunderer.

Thor stood up and eyed Loki insecurely.

"Brother. Please, can we talk?" The God of Thunder said pleadingly, as if afraid that Loki might as well disappear any second.

"Yes. But not now. Right now…I just want to know that you are by my side, brother." Loki finally lifted his gaze to look Thor in the eye. When he saw his brother's expression melting, the Trickster didn't wait for anything any longer and let himself be carried by the suppressed instinct he had wanted to follow immediately upon emerging from the memories.

Not paying the rest of the people any attention, Loki made a few quick steps towards Thor and without hesitation, embraced his brother.

Thor was perplexed only for a moment and soon, he brought his arms around his brother to hold him tight. The brothers hugged in the absolutely harmony. Their similar height enabled them to fully melt into each other's embrace.

"I am so glad you came back, little brother." Thor whispered so that only Loki could hear him.

"No matter what I say, I will always come back to you, Thor." Loki answered and felt the corners of his mouth lifting up.

Loki buried his face into his brother's broad shoulder and smiled some more.

The words were his biggest weapon with his silver tongue being perfectly able to deliver them in the deadliest way.

And yet now, there was nothing to say as the embrace seemed to convey all the emotions more effectively than words ever could.

At that very moment, the brothers felt whole. Their other half balancing the flaws in their personality was there for them and neither would let go.


	25. Chapter XXIV - Tension

The room they were all standing in was a mess. Despite its grandeur appearance, no one could deny that a few hours ago the God of Mischief had a tantrum there.

Not that any of this would matter to any of the occupants at all.

The atmosphere was so tense that any impetuous movement could mean a disaster.

Not that the brotherly duo would pay any attention to any of this.

Right now, all was well.

The brotherly hug let the hot emotions disappear and instead, the young gods were filled with a wave of peace.

None of them was ready to let go of that feeling and focus on the much bleaker reality.

In the end, it was not their decision that interrupted their embrace.

"Steve?" Tony's voice pierced the room. It was quite quiet, but everyone could hear it clearly. There was no hint of Stark's usual jokes. The tone was deadly serious. "What is the meaning of this?"

Steve, who was about to make a step towards Bucky, froze in his movements and stared at Tony.

Bucky raised his hands defensively.

"Thor." Loki whispered, still half-embracing the older god.

"Yes, little brother?" Thor replied in a similar fashion.

"I think we should move away. This fight is not ours." Loki spoke softly so that only Thor could hear him.

"I don't understand." Thor reacted.

"I'll explain in your room." Loki said.

Thor loosened the embrace and looked into Loki's brilliant eyes.

"Okay. Let's go to our room." Thor said only and let go of the embrace so that Loki could move.

Loki, trying not to display his surprise that Thor actually did what he was told, began quietly walking towards the corridor. Thor followed a step behind him, as if ready to put himself between a potential arrow that may be fired into his brother's back.

Nobody stopped them as they walked out of the room and through the corridor until they reached the room that was assigned to them.

Loki entered the room first. Without hesitation, he walked towards the big bed which, as Loki noticed, wasn't exactly neatly made. In fact, it wasn't made at all. For a moment, Loki wondered what their mother would say upon seeing the mess they left the room in.

Finally, astutely deciding that it was actually clever to leave the sheets to breathe, Loki climbed onto the mattress. He took a big pillow and placed it against the wall. Using the pillow as a resting place for his back, he sat down with crossed legs. Thor was observing him.

"We need to talk." Loki said only. Thor nodded.

"Indeed, we do." But it wasn't Thor to utter these words.

Both brothers abruptly turned their heads right and with eyes wide open stared at the figure who was standing inside their room.

"This is not possible." Loki whispered.


	26. Chapter XXV - Mending of Broken Things

"Mother?" Thor was the first one to recover from the shock.

"Hello, boys." Frigga said and smiled. Her smile bore the signs of deep sadness, but it seemed that seeing her boys relatively well and, more importantly, together, made Frigga incapable of not letting her eyes shine with pride and a hint of happiness.

Not waiting any longer, Thor made a quick few steps towards his mother. Then, he stopped all of a sudden just a step away from her. The fact that he was a head taller than her didn't make him look any less her son.

Meanwhile, Loki was sitting on the bed with his legs crossed, completely unable to process the situation.

"Mother, this is an illusion, a projection, isn't it?" Thor said carefully, as if he was trying not to let his hopes up.

"Yes, it is, darling." Frigga replied only. She was still smiling.

Thor eyes dropped for a moment.

"So that means that I cannot hug you." Thor mumbled.

"Does it?" Frigga questioned, her right eyebrow raised. She quickly glanced at her younger son who seemed to be in some kind of shock. Frigga would give him the necessary time to adjust to the circumstances.

"That's why they are called illusions, are they not? I…we were fighting against Hela, mother. I would always toss things at Loki to know if he was really there or not. You cannot touch the illusions, that's why they are illusions." Thor was trying to explain and Frigga had to supress a big smile forming on her face. Thor was clearly in as much shock as his brother was, but he would deal with it in a completely different manner. While Thor tried talking until he could make a sense of the situation, Loki would close into himself.

"You're right, Thor. They are illusions. Tossing things at the one projecting them is actually quite a clever idea of proving whether they are real or not." Frigga said the words of praise to her son, noticing how Thor's eyes brightened upon hearing them. Her older son would always be congratulated for his strength, but not as much for his ideas. "But, my son, do not forget the position that your brother managed to acquire."

Thor seemed confused.

"Officially, I held the title. And there was no one better to leave the honour to than your brother for there was never a god who would be able to wield the magical arts as gracefully as your brother does. The mortals here think they found the ultimate magic, your little strange friend is the example of that, but the sorcerers supreme have always resided in Asgard."

"Are you saying…" Thor began but got lost in his thoughts.

"Your father is the Allfather, honey. It is not easy to woo the sorceress supreme in the end, is it?" Frigga smiled. "I was the sorceress supreme. Until that title came to your brother. He is the most powerful magician in the Nine Realms and beyond."

Frigga inconspiously glanced at Loki who seemed to be fidgeting with his fingers, a habit as Frigga noted with a smile, he got from her. But she knew that he was listening to every word she said.

"And so, my son, do you think that a former sorceress supreme would not be able to conjure an illusion with an actual substance if a need be? I admit that it is quite a difficult spell but if a true need arose, I am sure…" But Frigga was not able to finish the sentence as Thor's brain kicked in and he embraced his mother desperately.

Frigga smiled and breath in the scent of her son that she missed so much.

She connected her gaze with Loki's.

In the end, her younger son was the reason she made the difficult journey from Valhalla to Midgard in her full form.

Loki's eyes were wide upon seeing Thor being able to embrace their mother.

And then, Loki simply let go of everything. Quickly, he slipped out of the bed and ran towards his family.

Thor heard his steps and so he loosened the embrace just on time for Loki to almost jump at Frigga. The younger god brought his long arms around his mother's body and buried his face into her shoulder, holding on so tightly that it would be impossible for his mother to once again disappear from him.

Thor, who still had his left arm around Frigga's waist as well, couldn't resist the big grin forming on his face and gently, he brought his arm around his brother all his way to his mother.

Loki found himself being squeezed between his family members who both loved him unconditionally.

Thor rested his head on his brother's back.

"I thought I would never get to hug you again." Loki mumbled against Frigga's shoulder.

"Never say never, darling." Frigga said tearfully.

"I couldn't hug you for so long. The last time was when Odin was in the Odinsleep and…I wanted to sit next to you so much when you visited me in the dungeons but those illusions were never with substance. I wanted to hug you so much but I never could." Loki breathed out.

"I know, love. I know. I am so sorry. But you know better than anyone how difficult it is to conjure an illusion with actual substance." Frigga replied. She felt Loki smile against her skin.

"Yes. But I could do it." He replied with a hint of mischief and need for approval.

"Of course, you could Loki. If the situation really required it. But it uses a lot of your magic as you know." She said and suddenly, both the mother and the son felt as if Loki was a child again and Frigga was sharing the world of magic with him.

"Let's talk, boys." Frigga said finally.

Thor nodded happily.

"Let's go sit on the bed, shall we?" The Queen suggested, and Thor glanced on the bed. Noticing that it was not made, he quickly went towards it and began putting the blanket neatly over it. As neatly as Thor could.

Loki, on the other hand, refused to let go of the embrace.

"You are not going to disappear, are you?" He whispered and looked at his mother.

"No, I am not." Frigga assured him.

Still, Loki found it safer not to let go of the touch and so while letting go of the embrace, his hand found its way into Frigga's.

Hand in hand, mother and son walked towards the bed Thor was trying to put into a presentable version.

"It is alright, Thor." Frigga smiled finally.

Thor blushed and seated himself onto the bed.

Frigga sat down as well. It was with some difficulty as Loki seemed absolutely unwilling to let go of her hand.

Frigga didn't blame him.

As the Queen gracefully rested her back against the wall, her younger son mimicked her movements and sat as close to her as possible.

"I am so happy you are here, mother." Thor said finally.

"Me too." Loki added.

Frigga smiled.

"I am so proud of you, boys. You have saved Asgard. Watching you fight side by side gave me much joy." The Queen said and both gods blushed slightly, looking as if they just de-aged.

"Loki, how is your chest and shoulder?" Frigga's voice got more serious as she eyed her beautiful son. She could see the bandages and her blood was boiling at the mere idea of what those mortals did to her son.

"It is better." Loki mumbled as if embarrassed.

Frigga gave him a pointed look and brought her left hand onto Loki's chest. Loki embraced himself for the pain but there was none.

Frigga's hand began shining with green light and Loki could feel his ribs falling into place painlessly while his shoulder repaired itself completely.

"Better?" Frigga questioned with a smile.

"Thank you." Loki replied, finally feeling physically alright. What was even better, Loki understood that Frigga helped his magic to fully fill his being again. The lingering effects of the magic-supressing shackles were gone.

"I came here because…" Frigga began saying but even the Queen, who was one of the strongest beings in the entire universe, had to pause before uttering the next few words. "Because I witnessed the trip your memory lane, son."

Loki looked at his mother, completely horrified.

"Why?" The raven-haired god asked finally, his brilliant eyes focused on his lap.

"Loki…I…just had to know. I am sorry to have invaded your privacy without your consent."

Loki looked at his mother.

"It's alright. I think that…I am actually happy that you know."

Frigga breathed out in relief. Then she braced herself for the next words.

"What Odin did shames me to the bottom of my heart. I should have known. I should have done something. Can you forgive me?" She asked.

"There is nothing to forgive, mum." Loki mumbled, still unable to keep an eye contact with Frigga.

"No, Loki. There is so much I should have done differently. Your parentage…" But Frigga was interrupted by Loki who finally raised his eyes.

"Don't." Loki said. "I understand why you did what you did. You told me that Odin kept the truth from me so that I would never feel different. But these were actually your reasons, not his. And those I can understand."

"Loki…do you want to talk about the Void? About Thanos?" Frigga asked and Thor visibly tensed.

"I think that the memories were self-explanatory." Loki replied after a while.

"Yes. But, please, know that if you feel like you want to talk about anything at all, your brother will be here to listen. No one should have to go through what you did, Loki. I cannot change what happened, but we can all try to make it better." Frigga said seriously. Thor nodded his agreement.

After a moment, Loki gave them a soft smile.

Frigga squeezed his hand in approval.

"Will you be alright, my sons?" She said finally.

"Tell me you're not leaving so soon." Thor said quickly. Loki's hold onto Frigga's hand tightened.

"I am afraid I must go as the spell is draining me. Also, I have a few things to attend to as your father has been uncooperative when it comes to running Valhalla properly. There is a warrior who I need to talk to. Skurge. Some gods are against him entering Valhalla. I need to settle this business now. But I leave with a lighter heart, knowing that you boys have each other." Frigga smiled.

"Skurge is an idiot, but I believe his intentions to be good. He just got caught up in the bigger game." Loki said and Thor nodded.

"I'll take that into consideration." Frigga smiled, happy that her sons had mercy in their hearts.

"Farewell, my boys. Know that I love you." Frigga said and Loki sensed that the spell was wearing off.

"Mother?" Loki said in the last moment. Frigga gave him a questioning smile. "Now we know that you are capable of conjuring yourself here from time to time."

"You are my little God of Mischief, aren't you, love?" Frigga smiled and winked at Loki who returned the smile.

When the brothers were alone once again, they could still feel the warm feeling their mother has spread around the room.

"This was…" Thor began saying while looking at Loki. "Perfect." Both gods finished and smiled.

"So…" Thor started after a moment, "you are a sorcerer supreme now, huh?"

"No. I am _the_ sorcerer supreme." Loki corrected Thor with smug.

"I think that my friends are all jealous that my brother is a…the sorcerer supreme now." Thor announced.

"They should be."

"Loki, are you alright?" Thor said, his tone suddenly serious.

"I would not lie to mother, Thor. I am." When Loki saw that Thor gave him an uncertain look he continued. "I wasn't alright for quite some time. But for the first time since it all went wrong, I finally feel safe and relaxed. Not just on surface, but also deep inside me. I am here on Midgard with you. We are safe. Our people were saved from Ragnarok and they don't hate me anymore. Yes, brother, it was difficult to have to go through those memories, but I believe they also reminded me that it was not my fault. I think that one of those things that were constantly bringing me down was that I felt that it was me and me alone who with my ambition and lack of appreciation triggered the chain of unfortunate events that led me to suffer that much. Now I can see that it was all much more complicated. What happened, happened. Past is past. Now both of us are stronger than ever. I believe that we can be happy again."

"I would like that very much, brother." Thor said his eyes full of tears.

"Don't get your hopes too up though. I may turn you into a frog occasionally." Loki smirked to ease the tension.

"I wouldn't doubt that." Thor winked.

"Actually, there is one thing I really want to do. When we emerged from the memory spell, you said that you have done a lot for me. You are right, Thor. Consider this to be my way of thanking you." Loki said cryptically.

"Loki, it is alright." You don't have to…" Thor began but was interrupted.

"I know. That's what makes me so nice." Loki winked back and cleared his throat. "Strange?"

Stephen appeared almost instantly.

"Yes?" The Doctor asked.

"It turns out that I am the sorcerer supreme." Loki began. Thor wondered where he was going.

"I am aware of the fact." Strange replied.

"Are you? Then why have you not been showing me more respect?" Loki raised his eyebrow.

"It is a position you must deserve. I was testing you to see if you were worthy." Strange said. "Also, I am not great when it comes to respecting authorities."

Loki chuckled. "I think we may have that in common."

"Indeed."

"Let me propose a truce. We both know how intricate and delicate magic is and how unappreciative others might be towards it. I would be willing to overlook your past mistakes if you could share the favour and we could start brand new." Loki proposed. Thor smiled to himself; this was the Loki he knew, the diplomatic silver-tongued genius.

"I think that could be quite fun." Strange said and extended his hand towards Loki who didn't hesitate to shake it.

"Two sorcerers going at it." Loki said mischievously.

"Quite a team." Strange continued.

"There is a favour that I would like to ask if you don't mind." Loki began and continued when Strange nodded him to go on. "There is something in Norway at the Asgardian settlement that I need. Could you fetch it for me?"

"It will be my pleasure." Strange said and disappeared right after.

"How does he know what you need?" Thor asked confused.

"I send him the mental picture." Loki replied.

"Can you do that?"

"Two sorcerers can."

It didn't take long and soon Strange was back. He put a wooden box onto Thor and Loki's bed.

"See you soon, Loki."

"You too, Stephen."

And then Strange was gone.

"How did you know that his name was Stephen?" Thor wondered.

"Mother's touch has returned all my magic to me, brother." Loki said happily. Then he moved towards the box. Carefully, he opened the cover and smiled when he saw that everything he needed was inside. Without further show he emptied the contents onto the blanket. Thor's mouth opened wide.

"That's….that was…that's…" Thor tried to say but couldn't finish. Loki actually laughed.

"Yes, Thor. It's the remainders of Mjolnir. As I said, my magic is back. Your little friend Korg told me that you admitted that losing Mjolnir was almost comparable to losing a loved one. Considering that faking my own death has been one of my favourite tricks, consider this to be my way of saying sorry for all that." Loki said and then focused all his attention to what used to be Mjolnir.

Loki knew that Hela was powerful to be able to break the magic of Mjolnir. But Frigga's words gave him the self-confidence that he was always lacking. He knew he could do it.

Loki's fingers began emitting a marvellous, shining green light that seemed to be gracefully dancing around his fingers. For a while, he played with the sparkles, concentrating all his energy into the spell. Then, he sent the light towards the remainders of Mjolnir.

Each piece of the broken hammer flew into the air where it began spiralling above the brothers' heads. Then, the green light began bringing the pieces together as if it was knitting them by an unbreakable energy-thread. After a magical moment, the light disappeared, and the ready product fell onto the bed.

It was Mjolnir. Beautiful as ever with no sign of any damage.

"That's not possible." Thor mumbled.

Loki smiled. "Thank you for everything, Thor."

Thor looked at Loki, then at Mjolnir and then back at his brother. This went on for quite a while.

Loki laughed. "Brother, you look like an idiot. Pick it up."

Thor extended his hand but then he brought it back. He looked at Loki. "Brother, that…magic that you did. It was truly beautiful."

Loki bit his lip. It was nice to hear his brother complimenting his magic.

And then Thor extended his hand and without any problems, Mjolnir flew into his hand. Unbelieving, Thor stared at the hammer and enjoyed the power that was running through his veins once again. Yes, he was the God of Thunder, not Hammers. But Mjolnir was Mjolnir.

"Loki, I…I don't know what to say. Thank you so much." Thor said on the verge of crying.

"I actually made one little improvement." Loki said mischievously as he extended his hand and opened his palm.

Mjolnir began shaking in Thor's grip and surprised, the Thunderer opened his fingers. Mjolnir flew straight into Loki's open palm. He grinned.

"It is yours, brother. It has always been. It fits you and your fighting style. I just…I feel worthy."

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading! There is quite a lot that I would like to say.**

 **Firstly, I am sorry for not updating for ages. Well...the exams are here but more importantly, Infinity War just...sucked (euphemism). So I was thinking about all that and how and whether to incorporate it into this story. In the end, I think you may be able to spot a few...well...how to call it...reasons? why Loki is a smart cookie and that he always has a plan B. Other than that, I will follow my storyline.**

 **As you may have realised, the idea of Loki and Strange forming some sort of alliance came to me from Chris and Tom's interview for Ragnarok promo. It's just a great idea so I wanted to use it ;)**

 **If you enjoy reading about Loki and Frigga, you can try to give a go to my one shot The World Needs You (the title I guess is also a bit of a reference to my dissatisfaction with Marvel's latest endeavor). But it takes place in the middle of The Dark World.**

 **Quite a few of you have been messaging me about the nature of the relationship between Thor and Loki. Basically asking if it will turn into Thorki or if it is just a bromance. It is a bromance. Tom said in one interview that he doesn't think that Loki is particularly keen on kissing anyone and I have also never noticed his interest in any romantic partner. Obviously, fanfics which give him some romantic interest, either from the Norse Mythology or the Avengers, are great but I don't really see myself writing that. There is a lot of physical contact between Loki and Thor which is my explanation for why some of you may got the impression that it may turn into Thorki. Bacially, my reasoning behind that is that Loki has always seemed to be kind of afraid of physical contact, maybe most prominently when Odin fell into the Odinsleep in the Vault. However, I think he really needs a friendly hug reminding him that he is indeed loved. I think he was hurt a lot by not being able to hold Frigga's hands in the dungeons in the Dark World. And so I just want to give Loki a lot of hugs.**

 **Anyway, I think that it's about time to bring Thanos down, don't you think? Let's see what happens in the next chapters ;)**

 **And, of course, reviews are very much appreciated.**


	27. Chapter XXVI - The Supervillains' Club

It was a quiet day in Germany.

All people seemed to be minding their own business while walking on the streets during the sunny day. For once, there appeared to be no issues to solve, no arguments to cause heated discussions. The crowds were walking in different directions, the most popular being ice cream shops.

Stuttgart, a city in south-west Germany, was no different.

That was until the moment when a loud rumble roared through the skies. Maybe the sunny day lured a thunderstorm.

"Mamma, is it Thor coming?" A small boy asked his mother. The pistachio ice cream was melting and dripping onto his small hand while the boy was fascinated with the quickly changing clouds above him. He was searching for his hero.

"Stop talking about those superheroes all the time! Look! Your ice cream is melting." His mother scolded him.

The boy resumed licking his ice cream and so it wasn't him to first notice that this was not going to be an ordinary storm.

Suddenly, the clouds began to part, and a seemingly infinite hole appeared in the skies.

Those unlucky souls who diverted their gaze up were the first ones to notice the anomaly that was by now unforgettably printed in minds of all humans on Earth.

They knew what it meant. And they feared it.

Soon enough, one name was being whispered all around the streets of Stuttgart. A name they never wished to hear again.

"Loki. He's back."

They all recognised without a doubt that the hole that was now lurking above them was the same one Loki used those years ago to bring his army on Earth to cause havoc and slaughter countless innocent people. The hole was not created in their country then nor did they see it with their own eyes, but they would still recognise it with a dreadful certainty.

The crowds began to panic. People started running in different directions, many were stumbling over each other. Children were crying while being pulled away by their parents.

"It's him! The God of Mischief is back!" A middle-aged woman cried out when hideous creatures began emerging from the hole.

"Wrong. Guess again." A cold, calculated voice replied behind her. Before the woman had a chance to turn around, Thanos sliced her throat with a quick, casual flick of his hand. The woman fell onto the ground without making another sound.

Thanos smiled.

The Mad Titan closed his eyes and delightfully absorbed the fear that was emerging from everyone around him. The only thing that was bothering him at this moment of triumph was that the ignorant mortals did not yet understand who they had the honour of meeting. All around him, they were whispering the name of that Jotun filth.

If they were so afraid of that joke of a god, conquering them should be even easier than he thought.

And anyway, he is going to get his fun nevertheless. When this pathetic planet falls under his command, Thanos will enjoy destroying all the Avengers. One by one. Finger by finger. Thor will be the last.

Odin was dead. The old fool who dared to rob the Mad Titan of so much was gone, and the revenge was ripped away from Thanos' hands. He should have been the one to end the Allfather's life. He deserved it. He dreamed it. He planned it for so long.

It doesn't matter now. Hela made sure that Thor looked like his dear daddy when she cut out his eye. He will enjoy burning him until the God of Thunder cries for mercy. Mercy that will never come. Thanos will torture him until the whole planet is consumed by flood made out of the Allmother's tears coming down onto Midgard from Valhalla. Then, he will have his revenge.

And finally, he will destroy the Jotun filth that dared to disobey him. In a way, Thanos pitied the moment when he will have erased the God of Mischief from history. He was the best distraction. Finally, someone who could keep pace with his intellect. A challenge.

And Thanos smirked.

Maybe, he could torture Loki's dear brother right in front of him. To show him that he was right from the beginning. Love makes you weak.

Or, he could do it the other way around. He will torture Loki right in front of Thor to enjoy the guilt and suffering in the Odinson's eyes. What will Odin think from his safe place in Valhalla when he is going to see his only son crying like a little girl for a Jotun scum?

No need to make conclusions now. There is still some work to do before this planet is his. Until then, he can perfect his revenge plan.

…

"Truce." Bucky agreed and shook Tony's hand. He didn't smile. He didn't dare to; Bucky knew that this truce was thin as ice and a little misstep might destroy it once and for all.

"If we continue like this, we will be a supervillains' club rather than the Avengers within a year." Clint remarked.

"Shut up, Clint." Steve barked harsher than usual. His heartbeat was just beginning to get back to normal after what seemed would become another battle between his best friend and Tony when Clint decided to deliver his distasteful comment.

"We must work together. If Thor and Loki could make amends, I can let go of my grudge." Tony said seriously. He knew that Bucky was mind-controlled. And having just now emerged from Loki's memories and hence understanding the suffering behind such a fate, he could finally fully comprehend that Bucky was not to be blamed for his parents.

"My friends!" Thor's voice boomed through the room as the God of Thunder marched into the living room. Thor being Thor, he completely ignored the tense atmosphere that the room was drowning in. Instead, he was repeatedly throwing Mjolnir up in the air only to catch it again.

"Idiot." Loki mumbled to himself a few metres behind Thor. Sometimes he envied his brother his simple mind.

"I thought your hammer was broken." Steve raised his eyebrows.

"Loki repaired it!" Thor beamed like a crescent moon. In unison, the Avengers rolled their eyes.

"Loki." Fury addressed the lean figure behind Thor.

Loki, not letting any fear to creep onto his face, got ahead of Thor and eyed the Director.

Fury opened his mouth when he, for the first time, noticed the t-shirt that Loki was wearing. The God of Mischief caught his gaze and instantly changed his clothes into his usual, formal attire. The t-shirt disappeared and was instantly replaced with a stunning Asgardian attire made of green and black fabrics of the highest quality. Loki smiled; having been healed by Frigga, all the spells seemed so easy to him now.

"A joke. Ask your Ironman." Loki told Fury. The Director looked at Tony.

"He's right. It was my t-shirt." Tony said, still feeling a bit like a fish out of water after the whole incident with Bucky.

"Hm. Funny." Fury commented. "Anyway, the SHIELD has no more business with you. Unless you step out of line, you're not on our radars."

Loki nodded. The Director beckoned to his agents and all of them began exiting the room.

Thor made a step forward. "Wait. This is…" But Loki interrupted him. He knew what his brother was going to say. He was going to make Fury apologise for what he had done to him. Yet Loki knew that such a conversation would lead nowhere now and at this moment, he just wanted the Director and his agents out of his sight.

Thor gave him a long, scrutinising look before he sighed and stopped in his tracks. He understood what Loki wanted.

 _Let him go. My revenge can wait._

Thor only hoped that his brother, his true brother, was really back and that his revenge would not be anything stupid.

When the last SHIELD agent closed the door, Loki observed his surroundings.

All the Avengers were inside the spacious living room. Steve was standing next to Bucky, looking surprised but happy about the development of the sudden events. Bucky was cautious as if expecting to be attacked at any moment. Yet Loki in his perceptive self could also sense a hint of satisfaction from Bucky; satisfaction coming from being finally accepted into something and having his best friend by his side again.

Stark was standing good two metres away from Bucky. He was trying to keep his face blank, but it was obvious that he was battling with many emotions inside him. Loki knew of his history and so he was aware that the trip down his memory lane would be particularly demanding for him. Meeting his parents' assassin immediately afterwards surely didn't help him.

Barton and Romanoff were standing together on the other side of the room. Their faces were devoid of any expression, but Loki could sense that there was no immediate threat from them for now. They would follow their Director's instructions. Plus, Loki could feel that Romanoff's attitude towards him has somehow shifted.

Bruce was sitting in one of the armchairs, his face contemplative. Loki didn't dwell on him for too long; strangely enough, he has developed a kind of trust in the man since he came with Thor to the SHIELD headquarters to save him.

Lastly, Loki set his gaze onto his brother. The God of Mischief had to smile, Thor was so happy to have Mjolnir back. Loki was glad that he was the one to put the smile onto his brother's face. He missed the feeling that came along with making the people you love happy. For so long, Loki had no such option, believing that there was no one he could call family.

"Maybe we should all sit down and discuss the new circumstances." Bruce was the first one to interrupt the awkward silence that was spreading around the room.

Surprisingly enough, the Avengers and their new two unwilling-supervillain allies obeyed and seated themselves in an uneven circle onto sofas. Loki sat next to his brother. He didn't expect anyone to sit next to him, and so he was surprised when the place was taken. He looked up and saw Bucky's brown eyes staring into his. Now when his injuries caused by Fury were gone, he could feel his instincts kicking back in. Loki could read Bucky like a book: if Steve trusts you, so do I. Anyway, we might have more than a few things in common.

The Captain seated himself next to Bucky and the Winter Soldier cast his eyes down.

Loki smiled to himself mischievously. No one could ever beat him at holding the eye contact.

Bruce was going to start talking, having some kind of let's-all-love-each-other-monologue Loki was sure, when the doors burst open and Fury ran back in.

"Switch on your TV. He's here."

* * *

 **I am sorry for not updating for ages; it seems that summers might be even busier than school time. Anyway, thank you so much for reaching more than 300 followers! And, as always, I love to read your reviews ;)**


	28. Chapter XXVII - Whatever It Takes

"Why are you taking so long?" The Valkyrie asked for tenth time.

"If you're so clever, why don't you do it?" One of the Asgardian builders eyed the figure who was sitting carelessly in the grass while drinking a second bottle of better-not-to-know-what in less than an hour.

"You have brains, I have muscles." The Valkyrie winked.

"You should really get together with Thor. You seem to have a lot in common." The man whispered under his beard, but the warrior heard him.

"Maybe you should get together with him if you're so interested in who he takes in bed." And she took out her legendary sword and putting the bottle aside, she began polishing it.

The builder turned back to his duties.

Heimdall, who was standing nearby, smiled.

The construction of the New Asgard, as they were calling it because of the lack of better ideas for now, was going rather well. The piece of land they were given was beautiful and seemed big enough for the highly reduced population of Asgard. Having heard from Heimdall that this was the last place the Allfather had visited before moving on to Valhalla, the Asgardians decided to make it their new home. A Kronan and a few other alliens decided to join them since they were once again in a desperate need for leadership.

At the moment, Korg was searching for his good friend Miek who seemed to get lost in the forest. Before he set out on the quest to save his friend, Korg instructed the Asgardians that should he get lost as well, they can find him by following the path made from little rocks. In the end, he was perishable and finally he was able to use it to his advantage. His mother's new boyfriend should see him now, he thought. He managed to turn one of his biggest weaknesses to strength. He needs to thank the raven-haired fellow for his adept leadership and good advice on how to deal with a complicated stepfather relationship.

All was well and so Heimdall moved with a smile towards a group of humanitarian workers with cameras who came to document the construction of the new world.

…

"Jarvis. Enough." Tony said, and the TV screen immediately died out.

A silence spread around the living room.

The Avengers were all thinking about the scene they had just seen.

 _"You will all die. No one can save you. Those of you who were chosen to survive have only our lord Thanos to thank. Be sure to show him your gratefulness."_

 _And then half the crowd fell dead on the ground._

 _No one screamed._

 _The survivors all knelt without being told to do so._

 _"The situation in Stuttgart is beyond critical by now." The news reporter said. "No one knows who the attacker is and what he wants but the speaker of Stuttgart police said that it seems that another intergalactic threat has chosen Stuttgart as the place from which to begin their conquest of Earth. The pictures coming from the German city are not dissimilar to those made when Loki tried to subjugate the Earth only to be stopped in the very heart of Stuttgart by the group of heroes calling themselves the Avengers…"_

"We have to get to Stuttgart immediately." Steve urged while already standing up. "We need to help those people."

"We cannot help them. They're already dead." Fury commented.

"Steve's right. We have to get there." Tony gave Steve a scrutinising look.

"What's the point? By the time we get there, Thanos may be on the other side of the planet." Fury commented.

"There is no 'we', Nick. Or have you appointed yourself to be a part of the Avengers?" Tony eyed the Director.

"You'll need SHIELD's help."

"I don't work well with torturers, but thanks for the offer." Tony stood up.

"Tony. What happened at SHIELD was for the greater good…" Clint began.

"Congratulations. You have just qualified yourself to shake hands with the giant idiot." Tony turned his back.

"Stark. You may be forgetting thanks to whom the Avengers exist in the first place."

"Enough." Thor's voice boomed around the room. "This planet is in danger. Your planet. I will not allow it to suffer the same fate as Asgard."

"Well, technically, it was the cooperation of the two of us that destroyed Asgard so…" Loki began but was cut off shortly.

"Shut up, Loki." Thor said and pointed Mjolnir in the direction of his younger brother. Loki raised one eyebrow and barely noticeably opened his palm. Mjolnir began shaking in Thor's grip.

"Loki." Thor said with a bit of threat when he understood what Loki was trying to do.

"Thor." The younger one commented as if now was the time to recite a name of his sibling for no apparent reason.

"Everyone." Steve interrupted. "That guy out there in Stuttgart is probably doing whatever he is doing for something he believes to be the greater good. We must go to Stuttgart to save every person we can before it is too late."

"Yes, but while the Captain is busy saving kittens, the rest of us need to come up with a plan." Fury attacked.

"Enough! My friends, don't you understand? Each second we waste speaking, Thanos is growing stronger and stronger." Thor urged.

"Wrong. I cannot grow stronger. I am the strongest I have ever been." The voice was the same mixture of manipulation and cruelty. Everyone in the room was able to clearly identify it with the voice they heard in Loki's memories.

Now was the time to be brave. Loki knew it. Now was the time to show Thanos that he cannot control him anymore; to show his brother whose side he's fighting on.

He is Loki. The God of Mischief. The Liesmith. The Silver Tongue.

He always has a plan. And if that plan fails, he has a plan B. And if that one fails, then a plan C. And a plan D. And…well…even his oaf of a brother knows how the alphabet goes.

Loki breathed in and out slowly. He calmed himself down. He will not be afraid. Being afraid will not help him now. He will do what it takes.

With effortless grace that only he has mastered, Loki slowly turned around to face his former tormentor.

Thanos was standing inside the living room in all his glory.

Loki knew what had to be done.

With one smooth move, Loki fell down onto his knees and locked his gaze with the floor.

* * *

 **Please, review ;)**


	29. Chapter XXVIII - The Wasted Mercy

The silence that fell onto the room seemed to suck out all the air.

He was standing in the middle. He, who was the worst nightmare of all the unfortunate souls who were unlucky enough to have met him already.

He rejoiced in violence and another people's suffering as well as he enjoyed everyone subserviently begging at his feet for mercy.

Right now, the God of Mischief was doing just that.

Thanos smirked.

…

Thanos was here and Loki's heart was beating unbelievably…regularly?

It was astonishing to Loki himself that in the face of his tormentor, of someone he has feared for so long, he has managed to keep his rational mind. Even breaths were coming out of Loki's mouth as his chest was rising periodically. He kept his brilliant eyes cast onto the floor in a seeming position of servitude.

Now that Thanos was here, Loki felt as if his mind imagined him even worse than he truly was. Yes, he was probably the most dangerous creature in the entire universe but still; he was only a being. And any being can be destroyed.

Loki was scared, of course he was. He knew better than any of those superheroes in the room what Thanos was capable of. He was well aware that if he decided to pick a fight now, they would all probably end up dead rather sooner than later and the Earth would be his in the blink of an eye.

Yet the Titan had his weaknesses too.

And Loki wasn't stupid. He knew that Thanos' physical power is unparalleled, he knew his cunning and sly nature and he knew that he enjoyed watching them scream.

Thanos has, obviously, known all Loki's weaknesses. And Loki didn't doubt that the Titan has kept a track on him since the last time he saw him. In the end, he was promised an eternity of misery should the Tesseract be kept from them.

The Tesseract was kept from them.

Loki had it.

Loki, however, also has had loads of painful memories since he last saw the Mad Titan. His humiliating defeat. His condemnation. The dungeons. Sakaar. The arrival on Earth. The time in SHIELD's custody with the torture.

Loki didn't doubt that Thanos would try to use those against him. But what he didn't know was that he also managed to find little bits of light amongst all the darkness. Yes, the darkness prevailed, but there was also Heimdall's acknowledgement of his rule on Asgard, his reconciliation with Thor, his conversation with his mother.

Loki knew that Thanos wouldn't have even noticed these. They were just flickers, but those flickers made all the difference. They made him stronger.

Loki kept his most precious gifts from before Thor's failed coronation; his silver tongue, his cunning nature, his manipulative skills, his intelligence, his magic. But during his recent years of hardship he became much more powerful. He was gradually beginning to trust himself and see himself as he truly was. He was of Jotunheim and of Asgard. That didn't make him a monster. It gave him an advantage. He was Thor's brother which didn't put him into a shadow but gave him a friend with whom he could shine together.

Loki had his reasons for coming to save the Asgardians. He didn't see himself as one of those heroes who gave their lives for the greater good without anyone knowing their name. He came to Asgard while making sure they knew it was him to bring in the last-minute help. Mainly, he came to aid Thor.

When they arrived on Earth, it seemed to Loki that all was lost. His brother gave him up as a dog he no longer needed into the hands of SHIELD too willing to torture the truth out of him. Yet Thor did come for him. Heimdall came for him. Even Bruce came for him. They all thought that he was worth saving.

And Loki was beginning to believe it too.

And so Loki could employ his brilliant mind and come up with a plan.

"Well, well, well. Look at this. One room filled with the Earth's mightiest heroes and I could all have you killed in the blink of an eye." Thanos eyed each Avenger separately.

"Take an example from our common frenemy here," Thanos glimpsed Loki who was still kneeling on the ground, "and kneel."

"I don't think so." Tony seemed to snap out of the shock as the first.

"Hm. Bravery. Such a waste." Thanos walked over to Loki and placed a hand on his shoulder. Loki tensed. "Haven't you all seen what happens to godlings who refuse to obey their master?"

"You." Thor was out of breath. "You…my brother…" Thor seemed unable to find the right words.

 _The oaf will say something wrong._

Loki turned his head as much as he could with Thanos' hand still on his shoulder and locked his gaze with Thor's.

"Brother. Don't."

"You should probably listen to your little brother, Odinson. Unless you want to be eliminated."

"Thor. Please. Do as he says." Loki could hear in his own voice that he was begging now. To his immense relief, Thor listened. At least for the moment.

"Hello, Loki. It's been quite a while since we saw each other." Thanos began and Loki lifted his eyes from the ground. "How have things been going on for you since you failed me? Not so well I imagine."

"To be fair, they weren't going that great even before we met." Loki answered.

"Still the charmer." Thanos smirked. "Tell me, Loki, did you imagine how I am going to welcome you after you failed me? Did it haunt your sleep?"

Loki kept his mouth closed.

Thanos increased the pressure on his shoulder.

"Did it?" The Titan repeated his question and Loki tried to sneak away from the touch. Thanos was stronger. Thor ran to help his little brother, but one simple flick of Thanos' hand sent him flying towards a wall.

"It is disappointing, really. Shouldn't the Odinson be, well, the strongest of you Avengers?" He mocked them while Thor tried to put himself together.

Meanwhile Loki felt that within seconds his collar bone will break.

"Yes. Yes, it did." Loki got out through his clenched teeth. Immediately, the pressure was removed from his shoulder.

"I don't enjoy hurting you, you know? You have the potential to be great. I wonder why you always turn out to be such a disappointment. For me, for your father, for you adopted father…in the end, you always fail." Thanos was speaking to Loki whose eye contact didn't falter. "You know who enjoys hurting you? They do. You saw it himself; do you remember his face," and Thanos pointed at Fury, "when he was beating you? Do you remember the pleasure that was radiating from him upon seeing you so broken?"

"Yes." This time, Loki was quick to answer.

"I am not merciful, Loki. I pride myself on not being merciful. But I have seen something in you and if only to spite the Allfather, I offer you a second chance. Give me the Tesseract and prove your loyalty to me and I will spare you."

"Prove my loyalty?" Loki repeated, making his voice slightly curious. He needed more time.

"Yes. But it won't be too difficult for you. In fact, it should be quite enjoyable."

A confusion sparkled through Loki's eyes.

"Rise."

Loki got to his feet. At that moment before anyone realised what was happening, Thanos snatched Fury and as a rag doll brought him closer. They created a strange triangle now; Thanos, Loki and Fury in the middle of the room with the rest of the Avengers standing around not quite knowing what to do. They knew that Thanos was right. Thor was the strongest amongst them and his attack was countered as nothing.

"Kill him." Thanos instructed simply.

Loki understood.

The God of Mischief's emerald eyes set on the man who unnecessarily tormented him in the SHIELD's headquarters. Fury wasn't showing too many emotions; Loki was aware that he was trained not to. He has probably managed to somehow call for reinforcements but both he and Loki knew that they would arrive too late. Fully mindful that Thanos was watching his every move, Loki let a dagger materialise in his hand.

"Loki." Thor said only. His brother didn't pay any attention to him.

He was fully focused on the two men in his immediate proximity. The two men who both hurt him so much, the two men he hated from the bottom of his heart. Now he had the chance to end one of them and get himself off the list of the other one.

It could seem tempting, but not to Loki. He was done running but he also wasn't stupid.

"Strange." Loki said whilst pretending to be examining Fury's facial expression. And then he felt the presence of the other sorcerer.

 _Get us to Norway._

And then they were all falling. But Loki already knew what it felt like and so he was able to send an illusion of himself to Thor.

"Thor. Brother." Loki said to get the Thunderer's attention. "You must hold him off."

Suddenly, they were all lying in the grass in the middle of the Asgardian settlement.

Loki allowed himself for a moment to be amused by the idea of Thanos trying to pick himself off the grass with dignity. He himself stood up with his usual grace and with relief noticed that they were all there. Heimdall, Valkyrie and all of the Asgard's mightiest warriors. Loki knew that the puny mortals do not stand a chance of fighting Thanos for even a minute, but the Asgardians might. At least he hoped so.

"You!" Thanos boomed. "What have you done? You think this can save you?" And Loki noticed that the Titan's army was beginning to come in through holes in the air. He expected nothing else.

"What did you think I would do?" Loki said in the most self-confident tone he could master and began pacing around the edge of the cliff. He quickly glanced at Thor. He hoped that Thor would listen to what he told him during their quick transportation here. In the end, Thor didn't have much reason to believe him. Loki only hoped that he would.

"Did you think I would crawl back to you and beg for mercy?" Loki continued and to his relief noticed that Thanos seemed to be enjoying this little show of defiance. He was certainly imagining his punishment for it. "Or did you expect me to turn around and try to stab you instead of Fury?" Loki questioned and the little ugly smile on Thanos' lips revealed to him that it was indeed one of the things that the Titan had anticipated. "I thought you knew me better than that. I am Loki. The God of Mischief. Do you really think that I would go against you with a knife?" Loki's tone was visibly mocking now and he could see that Thanos was running out of patience.

"You have no idea what I am capable of." Loki said and with that he made a step away from the cliff into open air.

But he didn't fall. Instead, a narrow passage appeared and within a moment, he was gone.

"What?" Thanos was confused. There was nothing in the air.

"Strange?" Stark questioned the doctor standing nearby.

"It wasn't me." Steven answered.

"A passage. There must be a passage." Thor mumbled to himself.

"Passage to another realm?" Thanos hissed.

"Yes. Loki is the only one who knows them, even Heimdall cannot see them." Thor said, more to himself than anyone else.

He was safe. Loki was safe. He got out of here. But he left him.

"Hm. It seems that I won't be getting my revenge on the little god today. It doesn't matter. He won't run far away. But when I find him, none of you will be alive anymore." He eyed the now ready forces of Asgard. "Do you really want to face me and my army?" Thanos smirked. "But I suppose you do. Odin has trained you well when it comes to blind obedience, hasn't he?"

"If you don't surrender, you will die." Thor addressed the Mad Titan for the first time. His eyes and his fingers were full of lighting by now. There was no going back.

"No, Odinson. You will die. And with you everyone you have ever loved. Your precious Avengers will all die, the rest of the Asgardian scum will die. And then, when I hunt down that coward your brother who has just run away from a battle, I will kill him too. But before I kill him, I will give him your head on a plate. Who knows if it will make any difference to him though. He has just abandoned you, hasn't he?"

And Thor charged forward.

…

Loki walked through the passage and immediately he could feel the cold breeze upon his cheeks. His steps were soon accompanied by crunch of his feet in the snow.

He was unusually calm considering that he has just encountered his biggest nightmare. He tried to leave all the images of the battle that was now raging on Midgard behind. It would do him no good to think about that now.

Even more, he tried not to imagine the face of Thor thinking that Loki has once again betrayed him. All the rest of Asgard saw that Loki has run away.

But he hasn't.

Yet as it always seemed to be the case for the God of Mischief, he had to work alone, and the work had to be done out of the eyes of his kinsmen.

Loki tried to warm himself in the cold climate with a little hope that Thor might not think that he has betrayed him again. That once, the Thunderer's brain will actually listen to what he told him.

Loki eased his pace. He has arrived at the place. He knew that because he could sense that they were all watching him. They knew he was here. They were just hiding in the ice. They, the powerful army that could stand a chance against Thanos' one. If they don't kill him first.

….

"Thor. Brother. You must hold him off." Thor had Loki's voice inside his head whilst he was smashing his enemies one by one. He was roughly aware that his fellow Avengers were all fighting valiantly next to him as were the Asgardians. The God of Thunder was secretly glad that Thanos seemed to be only watching the battle, not actively taking part in it. Thor could see many of his subjects falling and he could see that ultimately, the Titan's army was stronger.

However, today they didn't need to win.

"You must hold him off." That's what Loki has told him. His brother has a plan. They just need to slow the Titan down.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for keeping reviewing this story. There were a lot of guest reviews lately and I am sorry that I cannot personally answer to them but anyway, thank you for your kind words! I am sorry the updating is a 'bit' slow lately, hopefully, it will change for the better.**


	30. Chapter XXIX - Long Live The King

Jotunheim was as quiet as a summer day before a raging storm. This time, Loki was bringing the storm.

He has already travelled this journey once. That time, he was also making his lonely way through the snow, devising what to say to stop them from killing him. Yet back then, his ultimate goal was so very different.

Back then he failed.

 _You lack conviction._

Did he?

Loki has thought about the agent's words often. Did he really fail so miserably because he never meant to do those things?

Deep in his mind he knew that it might very well be the case.

One thing was certain now.

At this moment, he did not lack conviction.

"You dare to set foot in our land, Asgardian? After what you have done?" And here they were, talking from behind the omnipresent ice so that Loki could not see them to intimidate him.

Ironic, how on Asgard he would be insulted for being a Jotun and here on Jotunheim he was being called Asgardian as an insult.

"And what do you imagine that I have done?" Loki asked in his most innocent voice.

That was when they all appeared. At once, the huge icy rocks seemed to move away to let in the Frost Giants. There was uncountable number of them and they were all crawling in to encircle Loki as the rocks were giving in with a frightening sound of huge blocks of stones being cracked open. Soon, Loki was surrounded by unfriendly-looking Frost Giants.

And Loki could not help himself but wonder how in the Nine Realms could he be born _so_ small. Every time he met a Frost Giant, their actual size fascinated him. They were indeed giants; so tall that he couldn't help himself but feel familiarly insignificant in their presence. It also helped him understand why Laufey put him away. Such a small baby he must have been; no wonder his biological father was ashamed of him.

Yet their size wasn't the only thing that kept his attention. Their ungodly, monster appearance of rough, greyish skin with the touch of cold blue and the lack of a dignified attire repelled Loki as much as the carvings on their faces. Their lifeless, icy lips were of such nature that Loki didn't doubt they couldn't kiss. And those who couldn't kiss also couldn't love.

Loki was disgusted by them and so he didn't even let himself dwell on the most hideous feature of theirs; the radiant red eyes.

The God of Mischief briefly wondered if anyone could ever find the Frost Giants pleasant. Staring at them now, he found that highly unlikely.

And yet he knew that such hatred towards their kind is only a mere projection of the hatred he felt towards himself. If he wants his plan to succeed, he must leave it behind. And his plan must be successful. The survival of the universe depended on it. Loki didn't particularly care about the universe; what has the universe ever given him but pain and suffering? But even he had to admit that there were little pieces in the vast spaces that made it all worth saving. His brother's name was dancing on the front of his mind and Loki wondered how he could have ever persuaded himself so well that Thor was not his brother. Apart from the very few ones whose demise would admittedly cause him pain, there was also to be a lot of wasted effort in saving the Asgardians if they are to be eliminated by Thanos

"You have already come to us once, Asgardian. You promised us the Casket. You promised that Jotunheim would be returned to all its glory. Instead, you betrayed us and killed our king. That is treason of the highest degree." It was one of the tallest Jotuns who made this little speech. Loki eyed him with curiosity.

"With whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?" Loki judged that he will probably be their leader.

"I am Helblindi. The King of Jotunheim." The Jotun answered proudly.

"And how did you come to become the King of Jotunheim after Laufey's passing? What birth right do you have for the throne?" Loki questioned.

"You dare to speak about Laufey, our king whom you slew?" Helblindi made one step towards Loki, a step that made the ground rumble. He really was the tallest of the Jotuns, Loki acknowledged with distaste.

"Why do you presume it was me who slew Laufey?" Loki asked with fake interest.

"You dare to mock us? We know it was you who under false promise lured Laufey into Asgard where you cowardly murdered him and then you almost destroyed all of Jotunheim, our children included. For which, you will be justly punished. You will be placed into a cave and over you a serpent will be hanged whose venom…"

"As lovely as it is to listen to the creativity you clearly put into devising punishments for your criminals, I must interrupt and disappoint you, big Helblindi. It was not me who killed Laufey. It was Volstagg, a valiant warrior of Asgard who intercepted my plan and with the help of his comrades managed to kill Laufey a moment before I had the chance to save him. Then, he went to Bifrost and tried to eliminate the rest of the good Jotunheim. He believed it to be the just course of action for Asgard has never had anything but contempt for the Jotuns. In the last moment I managed to rush into the observatory and prevent him from fulfilling his hideous task which he believed to be just." Loki finished.

Volstagg was now dead and so this little lie couldn't hurt him anymore. Also, he deserved it for putting a sword to his neck and threatening him while he was following Thor in bloody manacles and so he was forced to listen to Volstagg's idly threats. He shrugged them off with sarcasm then, but they hurt, it always did. Volstagg was supposed to be his friend and yet so quickly he condemned him with the rest of Asgard.

To Loki's amusement, Helblindi seemed pensive. The God of Mischief should have known that the Frost Giants would be easily manipulated.

"How do I know you speak the truth?" Helblindi asked finally.

"Why would I be here had I lied? Do you think I want to be locked in some cave with a serpent?" Loki asked as if it was the most obvious thing of all.

"Why are you here?" Helblindi questioned.

 _And here comes the hard part._

"I have asked you already and I will do so one more time: what birth right do you think you have for the throne of Jotunheim?" Loki asked seriously. All the Frost Giants around him were curiously following the conversation.

"Many of our people died fighting Thor and in Volstagg's attempted destruction of Jotunheim. My father died fighting Thor. My father was Byleist, the only brother of Laufey. I am his oldest son. Hence, the throne belongs to me." Helblindi explained.

"What if I were to tell you that Laufey had a child that you have known nothing about? Wouldn't the throne belong to him?" Loki questioned, and it took him all the self-control he had to keep his voice from shaking. All hope to defeat Thanos depended on persuading the Frost Giants around him that he was someone he never wanted to be.

"Then I suppose it would, but Laufey had no children." Helblindi answered.

And Loki swallowed. The next words would not come out easily.

"Laufey could not have children on his own. But were we to ask his wife, she could tell us more." Loki said, and he felt his heart beating rapidly. He didn't know what he expected from all of this, but it was unnerving him nevertheless.

"The Noble Farbauti, the wife of Laufey, died during childbirth. As did the only child of the Royal couple. There is a statue depicting it." And Helblindi beckoned Loki to come closer to him. As if in a dream, Loki obeyed and soon found himself in front of a huge statue made from crystal clear ice. The statue was one of a Frost Giantess holding a little baby. Both the giantess and the baby were smiling at each other. The statue was the size of a Frost Giant and the giant who made it a masterful sculptor; each detail of Farbauti made with precision. She looked like the rest of the Frost Giants yet to Loki's eyes she was not repugnant. She seemed powerful, caring and strong. She died so that he could be born. She died before he was cast aside onto a frozen rock. She didn't know.

Loki forced the forming tears to stay inside his eyes and not spill out. To his astonishment, he realised that what he longed for at this very moment was Thor. He wanted to talk about all this with his brother, he wanted him to understand how he felt. But when Thor came into his mind, Loki remembered that at this very moment, his brother was, in the best-case scenario, fighting Thanos. There was no time to waste, no place for sentiment.

"The child didn't die." Loki found himself saying.

"What do you mean?" Helblindi replied in his dull, slightly confused tone.

"Laufey told you that the child died because he was ashamed of him. The child was born small...in size, not mind. Laufey left him to die on a frozen rock. Yet the child survived and grew up and is now here to claim his rightful position as the King of Jotunheim." Loki announced.

"And who would that be?" Helblindi asked and Loki, as often in his life, had to adjust his speech to match the slower minds of his listeners.

"Me. I am Laufey's son."

The Frost Giants began to laugh.

Loki was ready for it.

He took out the Casket.

"Where have you gotten this?" Helblindi questioned eagerly.

"It is rightfully mine." Loki replied, and the transformation started. He could sense that the Frost Giants around him tensed in surprise. He himself tried not to be disgusted by the form he was now willingly taking.

When it was done, Loki made a quick gesture with his hands and hid the Casket safely into his magic pockets.

"Look at my face and tell me what you see." The shortest Frost Giant amongst them all commanded Helblindi.

Helblindi focused his attention on the carvings on Loki's face and soon the revelation was visible on his and all the Frost Giants' faces.

"You are Laufey's son." He breathed out finally.

"Yes. And I am here to claim my throne." Loki replied simply.

"Your birth right gives you the title of the King but you have never lived here. You even disguised your true appearance under the face of an Asgardian. Jotunheim is better suited by a king who knows his people." Helblindi replied.

And so it was going to be the battle of rhetoric. Loki almost lost his face and smiled. This was too easy.

"It is true that I have never lived on Jotunheim, but I am the true son of Laufey. Despite wearing an Asgardian face, I have saved Jotunheim from its certain destruction by stopping Volstagg's vile attempt on the elimination of this realm." Loki was glad to notice that all the eyes and ears were on him, listening to his lies. "Look at Jotunheim now. You are hiding in the shadows. Like beasts. I am the king you need. The only one who can return Jotunheim to its rightful glory. Follow me and I will lead you into a glorious battle against the Mad Titan who calls himself Thanos. Together, we will defeat him and show all the Nine Realms that Jotuns are the true warriors. When he is defeated, and all the other realms admire us, I will use the Casket to alter this unfriendly environment into a prosperous one. And so I am asking you, brave Jotuns, are you with me?" Loki screamed the last words. The echo was resonating through Jotunheim for quite a while.

"What is your name, Laufey's son?" Helblindi asked finally.

"Loki." The God of Mischief replied.

"Loki of Jotunheim. The son of Laufey. You are my king. Lead us into the glorious battle which will bring the long lost fame to our realm." And with a deafening rumble, Loki watched in astonishment as Helblindi knelt.

The rest of the Frost Giants followed and soon, accompanied by the sound of thousands of earthquakes, all the Frost Giants were kneeling before their new king.

"Follow me." Loki said only and began their short journey towards the passage to Midgard.

There was a battle to be won.

* * *

 **Helblindi, Byleist, and Farbauti are all names from the Norse Mythology belonging to Frost Giants somehow connected to Loki.**

 **As always, please review. I hope you enjoyed Loki being the sly God of Mischief he is ;)**


	31. Chapter XXX - Lies and Deceit

"I was walking through the battlefield. It was over. We won. The dead bodies were everywhere, and I was making my way knee-deep in the enemies' blood. I led the attack and so it was up to me to grant the mercy if there was to be any. But remember, mercy does not come free. It needs to be paid for."

"How?"

"I stood in front of their so-called king and asked him to kneel in front of me."

"Did he?"

"I took his most loyal warriors and one by one I slew them. Slowly and painfully. And he knelt."

"When I grow up, I want to be like you, father." The little Thor said as it was obvious from his father's tone that the story was now over. Thor was sitting next to his father on a big sofa. Next to Thor, Loki was holding his brother's hand.

Odin smiled at his older son's admiring tone. The boy was going to be a mighty king one day, the Allfather didn't doubt it.

"Do the Frost Giants still live?" The younger boy asked timidly. Those stories have always frightened him, and he couldn't understand why his brother cherished them so much that all the time they got to spend with their father, which wasn't much as Odin was the ruler of all the Nine Realms, Thor made him narrate his glorious battles.

"Loki!" Thor said annoyed and let go of his brother's hand. "Stop asking this question every time father talks about the Jotuns! You act as if you asked enough times, they would just disappear. But you heard father say that he has granted them mercy. And that's good because if they step out of line, we will finish them together. Won't we, father?" Thor looked at Odin longingly.

Odin smiled at his older son.

"The Jotuns cannot challenge us, Thor. They are too weak. There is no need to break the peace we have over some petty Jotun who decided to pick a fight. The peace must be preserved so that the Asgardian warriors don't die in vain." Odin was pensive and then he turned his attention towards his younger son. "But if the time comes when war is necessary, would you like to fight alongside me, your father and king, and your brother, Loki?"

And Loki began fidgeting with his fingers as he always did when he tried to hide how uncomfortable Odin was making him feel.

"LOKI! How many times have I told you to stop that annoying habit of yours?" Odin screamed suddenly, and Loki's head shot up as he practically jumped on his seat.

Thor, torn between his father and brother, took his brother's now shaking hand back into his and looked him in the frightened, emerald eyes.

"Answer father's question, brother." He said seriously, hoping that Loki would just do so to prevent Odin from any more outbursts.

Squeezing Thor's hand, Loki replied.

"Yes, father. There's nothing I would like more than to fight alongside you and Thor and prove myself worthy." Loki said quietly.

Odin gave him a stern look.

"If you decide to lie to your father in the eyes, then at least do it properly. You are a terrible liar, Loki." And Odin stood up, shaking Thor off him.

"Are you leaving us already, father?" Thor was disappointed.

"I have the Nine Realms to rule, Thor. One day, you will understand the burden it is."

When Odin left, and the guards closed the door behind him, Thor turned to Loki who was fidgeting with his fingers again. Thor squeezed his brother's small hand more firmly to make him stop.

"Loki. Why do you always make father angry? He leaves sooner because of you." Thor said, not noticing the tears that appeared in his brother's eyes upon hearing those words. They were gone before they could start running down his face.

Later that day, the little Loki decided that if he could not be the son his father wanted, he will at least perfect the art of deception, so that even Odin could not see through his lies.

…

Loki was getting closer to the portal and his inner dilemma was growing. Should he change his appearance back to the Asgardian one?

There was nothing in the Nine Realms, should he start saying eight realms now Loki asked himself, he would like to do more than leave the disgusting body of the Frost Giant and turn back into the version of himself that he was used to. At the same time, despite being confident about his masterful art of deception and manipulation, he still couldn't quite believe his luck that the Frost Giants have actually accepted him as their king and decided to follow him into the battle against Thanos. Somehow, he didn't want to push his luck too far in turning back into his Aesir form.

He didn't want Thor to see him like this. He didn't want anyone to see him like this. But then he imagined what would happen if they lost.

He imagined the bodies of all the Asgardians he fought so hard to save. He imagined the bodies of the company that followed him from Sakaar to Asgard, Korg and his squeaky voice silenced forever. Korg, who could never go back home to show to his mother's new boyfriend what a brave Kronan he managed to make out of himself. Somehow, Loki really wanted for Korg to have the chance to throw this into his step-father's face.

And then he imagined the lifeless body of the incredible Hulk, being spit upon by Thanos. A few years ago, Loki would love to see Hulk being defeated and humiliated. But not by him. And not since Banner decided to come to his help to the SHIELD headquarters even though he had no reason to do so.

And Thor. Loki's mind was very creative which was a blessing and yet a burden. His mind was showing him one picture after another, depicting all the ways Thanos would deal with the son of the man he despised so much. He would tear Thor to pieces and kill him slowly in every way he knows he fears. And then he would crash his skull.

Loki couldn't let it happen.

He would stay in his Frost Giant form. In the end, he was a survivor. And if survival was what he was after, he would have to do what it takes.

Loki stepped into the passage and made it visible for his army to follow.

There was no turning back now.

* * *

 **Many updates lately; I surprise myself ;) Please, as always, reviews are very appreciated.**


	32. Chapter XXXI - The Battle

It was an utter chaos.

Chaos isn't threatening to Loki.

It makes him thrive.

The moment the King stepped through the passage with a powerful army behind his back, his ears were deafened by the sound of the battle cries. The ringing of swords was cutting through the air overpowered only by the deadly explosions and the resonating coming from Mjolnir hitting the enemies' weapons. The Asgardian warriors were screaming as they were swinging their mighty axes and spears to give themselves courage in the face of the unknown enemy.

The skies above him were a mirror of what was happening on the ground, and of his brother's mood. Black glooms were passing over grey clouds in unnatural speed which was caused by something more powerful than wind. The lightings were cutting through the dark skies accompanied by rumble powerful and loud enough to make the Earth beneath it shake.

It was pouring with rain.

The rain was blinding the warriors' eyes as their weapons would slide one over another, everybody hoping they managed to hit the fatal blow.

The gale was shaking the birches and spruces' branches and it seemed that at any moment, their resisting roots might give up the fight and the trees would be torn from the ground.

Underneath the passage the King was making his way through, the sea was raging as a powerful entity of its own. Many waves were chased around by the gale until they shattered into million drops on the cliffs. Some rebellious waves refused to be commanded by the wind and were making their determined way in different directions, against the others. When the two competing waves met, the drops of water were flying high enough to join the rain in making the battle even more difficult for both the fighting sides.

The King was making his way through. His army was following.

His brilliant eyes quickly mapped the situation.

Thanos, and the King realised with vengeful satisfaction that the name wasn't causing him any anxiety anymore, was sitting in his floating chair which he called throne a bit further from the battle, observing everything with vile and blood-thirsty expression. It was obvious that he was enjoying what was happening in front of his eyes. War was spectacle for him; and he its main director. Those who couldn't keep up with the deadly dance would fall down, their corpses hitting the ground. The Titan's expression was greedily focusing on them. It didn't matter to him if it was one of his followers or his enemy who was killed as he was sure of his ultimate victory. He rejoiced in the dead and suffering all around him.

In the midst of the battle, a few figures stood out.

Heimdall, his face covered by the blood of his enemies, was swinging his heavy sword with a determined expression. His body wasn't showing any signs of fatigue; seeing everything, the Watcher of the Worlds seemed able to anticipate his attackers trying to stab him in the back and he could keep himself one step ahead.

The Valkyrie was fighting with the rage and determination true to herself. With Dragonfang steady in her hands, she was right in the middle where the fighting was the toughest. She would send as many of those vile creatures to Hela as possible. She was hoping it would be enough to devour her.

Hulk was fighting and screaming with his usual anger, jumping around and crashing his enemies under his feet. He was not as quick as Heimdall or Valkyrie to dodge their punches though and so every now and then the air was cut by a howl of pain. The King didn't think it possible to injure the angry beast, but it clearly was.

The Captain, Bucky and Barton have created a triangle. They were standing with their backs facing each other's, making sure that no enemy would attack them from behind. Enhanced or not, they were still mortals and so fighting together gave them the best chances at survival. Their faces were wrinkled by concentration and exhaustion, but they clearly were not giving up.

Doctor Strange seemed to have at a certain point run out of the option of doing magic and now was trying to more defend himself, than actively attack anyone, with the help of his Cloak of Levitation. It was helping him to blind his enemies. He seemed lost, his face full of bloody scars. It didn't seem he would be able to hold on for too long.

Natasha was making her way through the battlefield. The King narrowed his eyes. It seemed she had a plan; it looked as if she was trying to make her way towards Thanos to fight him. Yet she was constantly being slowed down by the enemy army trying to bring her down. Yet more they tried to bring her down, the higher she would jump, wrap her legs around the enemies' shoulders until they were the one lying on the ground where she would end them.

The Ironman was flying through the air, frantically sending blows to all possible sights. With a closer examination, it seemed he was looking out for his teammates. His ability to flight gave him a better view of the battlefield and he was trying to keep his friends alive.

And then the King's eyes found the familiar armour, red cape, blond hair and mighty hammer of his brother. Thor was hitting one Chitauri after another, his cape being torn on several places but his pace stronger and faster than ever. His eyes were full of rage. That rage changed to grateful recognition when the blue eyes found the familiar figure of his brother. The grateful recognition was quickly replaced by utter shock when the blue eyes didn't meet the emerald eyes as they were supposed to, but they met piercing red gaze.

The armour was the same, but his brother wasn't.

And Thor was proud of him.

The God of Thunder, in the midst of the fight, just a second away from another enemy launching onto him, allowed himself a brief moment of acknowledgement as his lips turned slightly upwards to greet the person who meant the whole word to him.

And the King noticed and with that barely noticeable smile of his brother's, all his worries faded away. Thor has accepted him just the way he was. He accepted his Frost Giant skin and eyes. He finally saw Loki for what he was and not for what he wanted him to become. And he was satisfied with the picture.

As Thor's momentary and yet priceless acknowledgement of his brother was interrupted by a group of Thanos' soldiers launching at him, the King was making his way through the portal onto the wet and damaged grass with his army forming itself into the battle position.

Loki looked magnificently graceful. The wind was playing with his dark cape, but as he was making one long step after another, it seemed that the cape was dancing in the wind exactly the way he wanted it to dance. It was accompanying his every step as a shadow of revenge. His confident steps were taking him closer to the battle, his long, muscular legs enabling him to be quick and yet unbelievably graceful for the occasion. His battle armour was encircling his lean, buff body, the green and seaweed-green fabric being connected together by metal belts made from gold or unforgiving dark metal.

He looked majestic.

His blue hands were protected by gauntlets specifically designed for his style of fighting. They were covering his hands up to his knuckles while leaving his fingers free to play with daggers. He was holding one dagger in each of his hands. The daggers had black handles and emerald, sharp blades. There was no mistaking that they were deadly.

His golden helmet was standing for the most majestic crown the universe could ever see. The golden metal was protecting his forehead and encircled his head. He was already much taller than any mortals or Asgardians on the battle field, yet the bendy horns were making him to fully stand out in any crowd he was about to enter. They were making him seem incredibly tall which was only fitting for a king leading in an army of giants.

His shining, wavy, untamed, raven hair were flying into all directions from beneath his helmet. The rain was soaking them but that only made them dance wilder in the wind, sending splashes of water around their master.

Loki's expression was the one of power. His radiant red eyes were focused on his enemy; his whole expression tightly fixated on the task ahead. He was determined not to make any mistakes. The rain was falling onto his handsome face, the drops of water making their way over his sharp cheekbones. The God of Mischief didn't acknowledge the rain. Such small discomforts were beneath him.

There was no doubt that the God of Mischief, the rightful King of Jotunheim and Loki of Asgard, was deadly.

The Frost Giants formed a powerful formation behind him. Their expressions were full of eager need to prove themselves and to give a way to the future their king has envisioned for them. They would fight mercilessly.

Loki stopped and his whole army stopped in unison behind him. Thousands of Frost Giants were desperately holding onto their frozen weapons.

Loki lifted on of his arms.

Thanos, disturbed for the first time since the battle commenced, stood up from his throne with an expression of disbelief.

Loki pointed the dagger in his hand towards the battle.

"For Jotunheim!" He screamed, having amplified his voice with the magic that the position of the sorcerer supreme was giving him.

The Jotuns screamed and charged into the battle. Loki charged with them.

Quick as a cat and deadly as a snake, Loki slithered through his enemies, gracefully dodging any blows coming in his direction. His daggers never failing to find the Chitauris' hearts. Loki was making sure to remember the face of each of the Chitauri soldiers who tormented him so much. He wanted to see the life dying out in their eyes. When someone seemed to be getting too close to him, Loki would quickly in a dance-like motion catch their hands and his eyes would shine with the satisfaction at the horror in their eyes as their flesh was burning upon his touch.

When a bunch of Chitauri started all running towards him, then with the nerves of steel Loki stood still. He let them come so close to him that he could feel the warm radiating from their bodies. As they were making the move to stab him, he quickly turned on his heels and before they knew it, the Chitauri were all dead lying at his feet.

Through the rain, Loki saw that Thanos was now standing, his eyes frantically observing the difference the Frost Giants were making on the field. He was losing, and he knew it.

The God of Mischief was smirking when someone grabbed his arm.

Loki turned around, ready to launch and yet he didn't.

This person didn't mean him any harm.

"You're here." Thor screamed through the rain and thunder. He was looking Loki right in the eyes.

"I am here." The younger brother replied.

"And you brought an army." Thor yelled, the pride obvious in his voice.

"You held them back." Loki cried in response, his tone equally proud.

"Let's finish them together. Side by side." Thor screamed.

"Side by side. As brothers." Loki roared in response and the brothers created the most powerful, efficacious warriors' duo anyone has ever seen.

With Thor's raw power and Loki's nimble movements and wit, no one stood a chance against them. No matter how powerful the enemy or how numerous the army against them, the brothers were invincible. Having known each other for centuries, they were able to perfectly anticipate each other's movements.

Thor hits the Chitauri while Loki throws his dagger into the one trying to stab Thor in the back. When three enemy soldiers charge at Loki who is busy fighting a different Chitauri soldier, the Mjolnir hits the ground and the soldiers lose balance and fall on the ground.

Thunder and mischief perfectly balance each other. Red no longer outshines the green but helps it shine.

"Enough." Thanos' voice pierces the battlefield and the Chitauri stop fighting.

"You useless scum. Being defeated by a few monsters." The Titan spit out and snapped his fingers. All the rest of the Chitauri fell dead.

"I don't need a useless army. I can defeat all of you on my own." Thanos hissed and made his way through the corpses of his former army.

Meanwhile, the Avengers assembled. Natasha, Tony, Steve, Bucky, Clint, Strange, and the Hulk were standing next to each other

Behind the Avengers, the Valkyrie and Heimdall stood proudly as behind them the rest of the valiant warriors of Asgard gathered. Behind the Asgardians were the unmissable tall figures of the Frost Giants.

In front of all of those people, gods and giants, stood side by side two gods. Two kings.

"Can you?" Loki questioned with mockery in his voice. And yet he knew better than anyone else that in fact, Thanos could still defeat all of them. His physical power was unparalleled.

"You." Thanos now addressed Loki personally. "You managed to surprise me. It is only fun, really, finally finding someone who is not to be defeated so easily. Once I have killed you, I will have to go back to intimidating the ordinary creatures. It will be so boring." Thanos said.

"You will never go back to anything. You die today." Loki replied, his voice steady.

"But, if I think about it, you are boring. You are on the side of the heroes now." Thanos continued his little speech.

"I may be on the side of the heroes, but don't you think that I am one them." Loki answered.

"No? And who are you then? Loki, the lonesome warrior on the side of no one?" Thanos mocked.

"I am Loki. Of Asgard. And I am burdened with a glorious purpose." Loki articulated carefully. As he did, everyone behind him got goose bumps from the resonation of his deep, smooth voice and its obvious threat. "Finally, I know what my purpose is. And I will not be burdened by it for much longer." The God of Mischief paused. Thanos was about to say something but Loki interrupted him.

"I've got something you want." And in that moment, the Tesseract appeared in his hand. The blue glow was reflecting itself in his radiant red eyes.

Thanos' eyes were consumed by greed.

"You want it. Come and get it." Loki whispered.

Thanos launched himself.

Loki was ready.

In the blink of an eye, Loki turned himself back into his Asgardian form. His piercing, emerald eyes, those eyes that were so passionate to learn magic from Frigga when he was small, now fully concentrated on the figure of the Mad Titan who was running towards him. Loki could see that his brother's grip on Mjolnir tightened.

And Loki breathed in and let himself be filled with all the knowledge he despised for all those years. The powerful energy that was making him different for so long, the knowledge that distinguished him from the other Asgardians and made him a laughing stock for being cowardly and not manly enough.

Yet Loki knew that he needed more than that to defeat Thanos. When he could feel all his magic running through his veins, he knew that now was the time to make use of the gift he was lacking for all those years.

For so long, he was alone. Forgotten, despised, and self-loathing.

Not anymore.

Now he had a powerful army of allies behind him. Some of them were ever his friends. Next to him was his best friend.

And so Loki focused all his energy to absorb the magical power of those behind him. He could feel the Midgardian energy of science filling him as the Avengers were brought to their knees by a strange, invisible force. Then, as his magic reached the Asgardians, they too were forced to kneel as their energy was drained out of them. Finally, the raw power of Frost Giants was taken from them and even these powerful creatures were brought onto their knees.

Out of blue, everyone behind Thor and Loki was on their knees, gasping for air, wondering what had just happened.

"Loki?" Thor questioned with concern.

"In the end, they would always kneel." Loki replied to his brother's unspoken question. Thor's eyes were covered in confusion, but Loki's tone of voice gave him peace.

"Brother. I would need Mjolnir." Loki said, hardly able to control the energy that was now running through him.

Thor opened his palm in barely noticeable gesture.

Loki mimicked him, and Mjolnir flew onto his hand.

The God of Mischief began running towards Thanos.

They are getting closer to each other.

As there are only a few steps left, both Thanos and Loki jump into the air.

Loki jumps higher.

As Thanos hits the ground, Loki is as if in a slow motion, raising Mjolnir in the air for the fatal blow.

Thanos was powerful but not invincible. He had no heart to stab, but his head contained brain like everyone else's. No one could live without it.

And Loki swung Mjolnir filled with all his magic and all the energy he took out of his allies, and with one final blow hit Thanos' cuboid head as he gracefully landed on the ground.

For a moment nothing seemed to happen as Thanos was standing on the ground. And then his legs betrayed him, and he was brought to his knees.

Thanos looked at Loki and for the first time, Loki saw a different emotion that hatred, mockery or manipulation in his eyes. Thanos was afraid. He was dying.

"You never though you would long for something as sweet as pain, did you?" Loki hissed as he proudly stood in front of his kneeling arch-enemy. "You would gladly exchange dying for the sweet taste of pain, defeat, or humiliation, wouldn't you? But you can't. You will meet Hela soon. I hope you rot in hell together." Loki whispered as Thanos was losing his balance and fell onto his back. Ungracefully and as any other being would.

"I want to see your eyes die." Loki said. "I want my face, looking down at you as you are pathetically dying, to be the last thing you see."

"Consider…" Thanos tried to say but found his voice too weak. "Consider this to be my parting gift." And with the last breath, Thanos died.

He was dead.

It was finally over.

He was free.

And yet the Titan's last words puzzled Loki. But he would not let himself be bothered by Thanos any longer. Thanos was dead.

"Loki." The God of Mischief heard his name and a knot appeared in his stomach. It was his brother's voice filled with immense pain.

Loki turned around.

He saw Thor holding onto a sword that was dug deep in his belly. The blood was pouring out of the wound.

"Loki." Thor whispered in shock and fell onto the ground.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for still reading this story. I am very curious what you think about this chapter, so please review. If you were to choose one chapter to review, let it be this one ;)**


	33. Chapter XXXII - All He Ever Wanted 1

"I was studying the new spells with mother in the morning. Have you known that just by touching someone's forehead, you should be able to dive into their memories to make them reveal what you want to know? Imagine the possibilities." Loki paused. "Anyway, after lunch mother had to attend some meetings with father and so I went into the library to read further about the spells. It is fascinating, actually. It seems that they have been invented by a powerful Asgardian sorcerer thousands of years ago as a tool to fight against Vanaheim. Did you know that Vanaheim once was in an open rebellion against Asgard? I wonder if Hogun knowns…"

Loki, who was lying in the bed inside his chambers, turned his head to look at the reaction of the person lying next to him.

His clone mirrored his movement and Loki found himself looking into his own face.

"Right." Loki said. "Anyway, that was my day."

Since he learnt how to make clones of himself, Loki would make one before going to sleep to tell him about his day. It helped him fall asleep quicker if he told someone. It made him feel as if somebody cared about his day. And no one ever came to tell him goodnight since he was old enough to take care of his evening routine on his own.

"Tomorrow I think I will…" Loki began but abruptly stopped when the bed next to him bent and his clone disappeared.

"Who are you talking to, brother?" Thor said, grinning.

"No one. What are you doing here?" Loki replied.

"I was bored in my chambers. Father was telling me about his adventures on Jotunheim, but then some General came with an urgent business and he left. I can't fall asleep."

"Father came to your chambers to tell you stories?" Loki questioned.

"Yes, but then he left before finishing the story. But he promised to come back tomorrow. Anyway, I am sure that his quest ends by slaying all the Frost Giants…"

"Why are you here again, Thor?" Loki said after a moment of silence.

"I can't fall asleep." Thor replied.

"Why cannot you go to some of your friends to play games with them?" Loki suggested.

"Because I wanted to be with you. I haven't seen you all day. What have you been doing?" Thor questioned.

"I…" Loki began but stopped himself. He was sure that Thor didn't actually care and would start snoring after two sentences.

"Well, brother?" Thor gave Loki a raised eyebrow.

"I actually read about a rebellion on Vanaheim…" Loki said quietly.

"Rebellion on Vanaheim? I have never heard of that."

"It was a rebellion against the Asgardian dominance, actually…"

"What, really? I wonder if Hogun knows…" Thor wondered.

"I was wondering that too." Loki smiled.

"Do you know more about it, brother?" Thor asked.

"Yes. I can give you the book if you want to read about it." Loki offered.

"I'd prefer if you told me."

And so Loki did. He told Thor all about the people of Vanaheim rebelling against Asgard. He narrated about the most famous battles and how in the end, they were defeated by their grandfather.

"That was wonderful, Loki. How do you know so much?" Thor marvelled.

"I read." Loki grinned. Then he yawned.

When Thor saw Loki yawning, he yawned too.

"Should we go to sleep?" Thor asked Loki who only nodded.

Thor wrapped himself under Loki's thick blanket.

"Should we go to breakfast together, brother? Maybe we could sneak up to the kitchens and steal some whipped cream…I am so tired of eating all those things that mother considers nutritious." Thor said.

"Sounds like a task for a God of Mischief." Loki winked at Thor.

"I knew you would agree." Thor laughed.

"Goodnight, Thor."

"Goodnight, brother."

…

"Thor." Loki whispered in disbelief. This was not possible. It couldn't be.

Steve hurried towards Thor who pulled the sword out of his belly. Flood of blood followed his movement.

"Thor. Can you hear me, buddy?" Steve was talking to Thor who seemed to be unconscious. "Somebody, get help!"

"Get help?" Thor whispered almost inaudibly and slightly opened his eyes. "Loki?"

"I am here, brother." Loki replied as he knelt next to Thor and took his rough hand into his. He was in shock.

"Stark! We need to do something! Strange?" Steve was asking.

"His physique is Asgardian. I have no idea what to do. But this wound." It was Banner who answered and who shook his head. Steve looked at Strange who mimicked Banner's expression.

Loki saw that. "No."

"Loki?" Thor whispered.

"Yes, Thor?" Loki said in a tight voice.

"Thanos is dead. You are safe." Thor said.

"Yes." It was all that Loki managed to say.

"The Asgardians. The Midgardians. They are all safe."

Loki nodded.

"Good." Thor smiled. "Loki. Listen to me." He squeezed Loki's hand. "You are the prince of Asgard. You must promise me that you will ensure the safety of our people as they build their homes here. You are the king now." Thor said with urgency.

And Loki knew that hearing that sentence was everything that he has ever wanted. He looked around. They all saw him defeat Thanos. They saw him strike the fatal blow. They all saw him fighting on their side. He even saw some little mortals with that funny Midgardian technology they used to broadcast events all around their planet. By now, every person on Midgard knew that they were still alive thanks to him, Loki of Asgard. They would welcome him.

The line of succession would fall to him. The Asgardians would no longer object to that. He would be their king. They would rebuild Asgard in his image.

It was all he ever wanted.

All was here, almost within his reach.

It was a few breaths away.

"Loki." Thor caught his attention. "You really are the best, brother."

Thor closed his eyes.

* * *

 **This chapter is divided into two parts. This is part one of "All He Ever Wanted". The second part is written and will be uploaded very, very soon (no idea why anyone would believe me after this super long break between updates, but still...).**

 **Happy 2019!**


	34. Chapter XXXIII - All He Ever Wanted 2

"Thor? Thor!" Loki screamed.

It wasn't all he ever wanted. All he ever wanted was to be Thor's equal. All he ever wanted was his brother laughing next to him while they were telling each other about their days.

"Heimdall? Heimdall?!" Loki yelled.

Heimdall came crouching next to Thor only moments later.

"Heimdall? Help him." Loki said and his voice broke. This wasn't happening.

Heimdall quickly inspected the wound.

"Loki…" He began carefully.

"No. NO! I refuse to hear it. He is your king. YOUR KING! I order you to help him." Loki screamed as hot tears began streaming down his face.

"I can't." Heimdall said quietly.

"Thanos hurt me. He hurt me. Not Thor! He cannot hurt Thor! Thor is stronger. He has no power over him. Thor would never let him hurt him. Thor. THOR! Wake up!" Loki shook Thor's shoulders. Thor didn't react. "Brother, please."

"You can't leave me all alone. Please, brother. I am so sorry. So sorry about everything. Please." Loki buried his head into Thor's shoulder and wept.

The Avengers were standing around, unsure what to do.

"Loki." It was Tony to speak first. "Loki."

Loki raised his eyes and saw the glowing reactor in the Iron Man's suit.

And he understood.

With a flick of his hand, Loki let the Tesseract materialise in the palm of his hand. With his other hand, Loki called for Mjolnir which quickly flew into his hand.

With a quick, almost automatic movement, Loki placed the Tesseract onto Thor's wound. Then he hit the Tesseract with Mjolnir.

The hit was deafening, and the magic cube split itself into little pieces. One by one, they began to find their way into Thor's body. Loki began mumbling a spell and the pieces of what once was a Tesseract began knitting the wound together. Finally, there was no more blood, only a scar which was glowing blue.

Loki stopped the spell.

He looked at Thor.

At first, nothing happened.

Then Thor opened his eyes and abruptly sit up.

* * *

 **I know that I have taken great liberties with the Tesseract and its powers. My reasoning behind that is that I am interested mainly in Loki and his character, personality, and reasoning. Hence, I wanted to use the Tesseract as something that held a value for Loki to make an example of it. But I feel that if you have read this far, you have probably understood that I am not focusing on the Infinity Stones and their implications but rather on Loki, Loki and Thor etc.**

 **Anyway, a few more chapters coming (hopefully) soon.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **P.S. The Tesseract wasn't the only powerful thing in Loki's possession, was it? ;)**

 **P.S.S. Now there is something 'blue' inside both brothers.**


End file.
